latimes--2020-08-05--'The kids are going stir-crazy': L.A. battles mansion parties that could spread COVID-19

Television news started showing the images Monday night in prime time : hundreds of people at a mansion on Mullholland Drive , mingling , dancing and showing very little social distancing despite pleas from health officials to avoid social gatherings as COVID-19 continues to spread .
Police responded , but the party kept going .
Then , after midnight , shots rang out .
One woman died , and four other people were injured .
The Los Angeles Police Department is now investigating what prompted the shooting and is searching for suspects .
The incident is the latest in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Hollywood Hills .
Some have turned violent and involved gunfire .
At a time when bars and nightclubs are closed , concern is growing that people are turning to private gatherings , which can heighten the risk of spreading the coronavirus .
“ Since COVID , they ’ ve moved all the parties to the hills , ” said Sheila Irani , a member of the Hollywood United Neighborhood Council .
“ The kids are going stir-crazy.
” Following the latest party , officials emphasized that the L.A. County Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ binding health officer order that prohibits gatherings , including parties , during this pandemic in order to protect the health and lives of county residents ” — with violations punishable by fines and/or imprisonment .
And L.A. Councilman David Ryu introduced a motion Wednesday to increase penalties and provide additional enforcement options against property owners who defy city laws or building and safety rules , including the city ’ s 2018 party-house ordinance .
Here ’ s what we know : What happened with this latest party ?
The shooting was reported about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police were first called to the home in the 13200 block of Mulholland Drive following numerous complaints from neighbors about the size of the gathering after buses were seen dropping off partygoers .
LAPD Lt. Chris Ramirez said officers found two women and a man suffering from gunshot wounds .
Ramirez said the shooting is considered a gang-related homicide .
Social media activity , in part , led detectives to link the shooting to gang activity , he added .
No arrests have been made .
Videos from the mansion posted on social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Yes .
The surge in coronavirus cases that occurred when the state began reopening the economy in May has several causes .
But one , officials have said , was people getting back to old routines , such as parties and other social gatherings .
“ The highest-risk settings are large in-person gatherings where it is difficult for individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and where face coverings are not worn , ” L.A. health officials wrote in a statement following the Beverly Crest mansion party .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our entire community because the virus can quickly and easily spread .
We must all do our part to slow the spread of this virus so that we may continue on our recovery journey.
” With the spike in cases , the state closed bars and indoor dining in many areas .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom and others have noted that the age among new infections in California has dropped , and that young people are taking part in risky behavior because they don ’ t think they can get sick .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said the party sounded “ like a high-risk experience for those who were there and , frankly , for the loved ones that they go home to.
” He added that the state depends on its local partners to help ensure compliance with coronavirus-related health orders and that any issues need to be addressed head-on .
“ I hope that we continue to have our local partners not just saying and reminding people of the message , but enforcing public health orders — not just the state public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local level that I know , in L.A. County , are strong as well , ” Ghaly said .
About 200 people were at the party in the Beverly Crest mansion when police first entered about 7 p.m .
Although officers cited and impounded some vehicles that were illegally parked , they did not break up the party — even though gatherings of any size Los Angeles County ’ s coronavirus health order .
“ When the officers arrived , they did notice large amounts of people on the roadway and vehicles kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stacked on the roadway , ” Ramirez said during a morning media briefing .
“ At that point , the officers met with the responsible party and security officers at that location .
They were able to get their compliance , to help get the people back into the private party , and at the same time , did some enforcement.
” What can the city do ?
Hollywood Hills parties have been an issue in L.A. for years .
Neighbors complain that organizers rent houses for the events and bring in hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance proposed by Ryu , who represents Hollywood Hills , that imposed fines on both party hosts and homeowners .
But the concerns have heightened since the pandemic began .
In May , officers went to a raging house party with more than 100 people that ended when a partygoer accidentally shot himself in the groin .
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion said she suffered gunshot wounds outside a Hollywood Hills mansion in July — though an LAPD account of the incident made no mention of her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to her suffering a foot injury .
The department is continuing to investigate that incident .
And the parties aren ’ t confined to the Hollywood Hills .
YouTuber Jake Paul threw a large house party in Calabasas last month .
Videos captured from the 23-year-old ’ s July 11 gathering show dozens of young people mixing without masks or social distancing .
In the clips , carefree partygoers roll dice and drink , swing from a raised excavator crane and pull a car into the packed lobby of the house .
Mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities will begin to shut down large gatherings and fine people $ 100 for not wearing masks .
“ It ’ s completely unacceptable to be interacting with people like that during this time .
People need to be wearing masks , and people need to be keeping their distance .
You can ’ t be having parties with over 100 people , ” she said .
“ Our numbers are rising , ” Weintraub added .
“ Younger and younger people in our community are testing positive .
Even though a young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have the potential to spread it to someone else who could get really sick.
” Irani , the Hollywood neighborhood council member , said fines , threats by the city and other sanctions don ’ t seem to deter some property owners .
On Wednesday , Ryu officially proposed implementing additional penalties for scofflaws , such as water and power shutoffs , permit prohibitions or having their certificates of occupancy revoked .
“ Despite a pandemic that has killed thousands in Los Angeles , some homeowners are choosing to put everyone at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive house parties , ” he said in a statement .
“ This is irresponsible bordering on deadly — and it must be stopped .
Whether it takes shutting off utilities or revoking their permits , we must do what it takes to shut these party houses down.
” In a letter to constituents , L.A. Councilman Paul Koretz called on public safety and law enforcement agencies “ to unequivocally enforce against all illegal house parties.
” “ There is no room for criminal behavior in our neighborhoods or on our streets , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t politics , people are dying .
Neighborhoods are scared .
We can not wait another minute longer.
” Koretz , who represents a district stretching from the Westside north to Encino , said he has contacted Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti , the LAPD and the city attorney about the dangers of large gatherings at parties .
LAPD Capt .
Steve Lurie , who oversees the Hollywood Division , said Garcetti ’ s original health directive on social gatherings did not apply to private homes like the Beverly Crest mansion .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ % jump in house party calls in his division in recent months .
The Los Angeles city attorney ’ s office has said homeowners with a history of renting to partygoers could face criminal prosecution and six months in jail .

Richard Winton, Luke Money, Jake Sheridan

LAPD investigators continue their work along Mulholland Drive, where three people were shot, one of them fatally, during a large party at a mansion early Tuesday morning. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Party attendees look at the house located at 13200 Mulholland Dr in Beverly Crest area of LA, where gunfire early Tuesday left one woman dead and sent two other people to a hospital. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
LAPD blocks of the road along Mulholland Drive in Beverly Crest, where three people were shot, one of them fatally, during a house party. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
LAPD investigators continue their work along Mulholland Drive, where three people were shot, one of them fatally, during a large party at a mansion early Tuesday. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
View of the home in the 13200 block of Mulholland Drive, where gunfire early Tuesday left one woman dead and sent two other people to a hospital, at a massive party held in defiance of coronavirus-related health orders. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Aerial view of a large house party on Mulholland Drive in Beverly Crest, where three people were shot. (KTLA)
Television news started showing the images Monday night in prime time: hundreds of people at a mansion on Mullholland Drive, mingling, dancing and showing very little social distancing despite pleas from health officials to avoid social gatherings as COVID-19 continues to spread.
Police responded, but the party kept going. Then, after midnight, shots rang out. One woman died, and four other people were injured.
The Los Angeles Police Department is now investigating what prompted the shooting and is searching for suspects. The incident is the latest in a string of big house parties, many in the Hollywood Hills. Some have turned violent and involved gunfire.
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At a time when bars and nightclubs are closed, concern is growing that people are turning to private gatherings, which can heighten the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
“Since COVID, they’ve moved all the parties to the hills,” said Sheila Irani, a member of the Hollywood United Neighborhood Council. “The kids are going stir-crazy.”
Following the latest party, officials emphasized that the L.A. County Department of Public Health “has issued a legally binding health officer order that prohibits gatherings, including parties, during this pandemic in order to protect the health and lives of county residents” — with violations punishable by fines and/or imprisonment.
And L.A. Councilman David Ryu introduced a motion Wednesday to increase penalties and provide additional enforcement options against property owners who defy city laws or building and safety rules, including the city’s 2018 party-house ordinance.
Here’s what we know:
What happened with this latest party?
The shooting was reported about 12:45 a.m., hours after Los Angeles police were first called to the home in the 13200 block of Mulholland Drive following numerous complaints from neighbors about the size of the gathering after buses were seen dropping off partygoers.
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LAPD Lt. Chris Ramirez said officers found two women and a man suffering from gunshot wounds.
Ramirez said the shooting is considered a gang-related homicide. Social media activity, in part, led detectives to link the shooting to gang activity, he added.
No arrests have been made.
Videos from the mansion posted on social media appear to capture bursts of gunfire.
Aren’t these types of events dangerous?
Yes. The surge in coronavirus cases that occurred when the state began reopening the economy in May has several causes. But one, officials have said, was people getting back to old routines, such as parties and other social gatherings.
“The highest-risk settings are large in-person gatherings where it is difficult for individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and where face coverings are not worn,” L.A. health officials wrote in a statement following the Beverly Crest mansion party.
“The consequences of these large parties ripple throughout our entire community because the virus can quickly and easily spread. We must all do our part to slow the spread of this virus so that we may continue on our recovery journey.”
With the spike in cases, the state closed bars and indoor dining in many areas.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and others have noted that the age among new infections in California has dropped, and that young people are taking part in risky behavior because they don’t think they can get sick.
On Tuesday, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said the party sounded “like a high-risk experience for those who were there and, frankly, for the loved ones that they go home to.”
He added that the state depends on its local partners to help ensure compliance with coronavirus-related health orders and that any issues need to be addressed head-on.
“I hope that we continue to have our local partners not just saying and reminding people of the message, but enforcing public health orders — not just the state public health orders, but the orders at the local level that I know, in L.A. County, are strong as well,” Ghaly said.
About 200 people were at the party in the Beverly Crest mansion when police first entered about 7 p.m. Although officers cited and impounded some vehicles that were illegally parked, they did not break up the party — even though gatherings of any size are prohibited under Los Angeles County’s coronavirus health order.
“When the officers arrived, they did notice large amounts of people on the roadway and vehicles kind of blocking, double-parked and stuff, stacked on the roadway,” Ramirez said during a morning media briefing.
“At that point, the officers met with the responsible party and security officers at that location. They were able to get their compliance, to help get the people back into the private party, and at the same time, did some enforcement.”
What can the city do?
Hollywood Hills parties have been an issue in L.A. for years. Neighbors complain that organizers rent houses for the events and bring in hundreds of paying guests.
In 2018, the Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance proposed by Ryu, who represents Hollywood Hills, that imposed fines on both party hosts and homeowners.
But the concerns have heightened since the pandemic began.
In May, officers went to a raging house party with more than 100 people that ended when a partygoer accidentally shot himself in the groin.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion said she suffered gunshot wounds outside a Hollywood Hills mansion in July — though an LAPD account of the incident made no mention of her being struck by gunfire and referred only to her suffering a foot injury. The department is continuing to investigate that incident.
And the parties aren’t confined to the Hollywood Hills.
YouTuber Jake Paul threw a large house party in Calabasas last month. Videos captured from the 23-year-old’s July 11 gathering show dozens of young people mixing without masks or social distancing. In the clips, carefree partygoers roll dice and drink, swing from a raised excavator crane and pull a car into the packed lobby of the house.
Mayor Alicia Weintraub criticized the events and said authorities will begin to shut down large gatherings and fine people $100 for not wearing masks.
“It’s completely unacceptable to be interacting with people like that during this time. People need to be wearing masks, and people need to be keeping their distance. You can’t be having parties with over 100 people,” she said.
“Our numbers are rising,” Weintraub added. “Younger and younger people in our community are testing positive. Even though a young person might not get really sick, they have the potential to spread it to someone else who could get really sick.”
Irani, the Hollywood neighborhood council member, said fines, threats by the city and other sanctions don’t seem to deter some property owners.
On Wednesday, Ryu officially proposed implementing additional penalties for scofflaws, such as water and power shutoffs, permit prohibitions or having their certificates of occupancy revoked.
“Despite a pandemic that has killed thousands in Los Angeles, some homeowners are choosing to put everyone at risk by renting out their homes to massive house parties,” he said in a statement. “This is irresponsible bordering on deadly — and it must be stopped. Whether it takes shutting off utilities or revoking their permits, we must do what it takes to shut these party houses down.”
In a letter to constituents, L.A. Councilman Paul Koretz called on public safety and law enforcement agencies “to unequivocally enforce against all illegal house parties.”
“There is no room for criminal behavior in our neighborhoods or on our streets,” he wrote. “This isn’t politics, people are dying. Neighborhoods are scared. We cannot wait another minute longer.”
Koretz, who represents a district stretching from the Westside north to Encino, said he has contacted Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the LAPD and the city attorney about the dangers of large gatherings at parties.
LAPD Capt. Steve Lurie, who oversees the Hollywood Division, said Garcetti’s original health directive on social gatherings did not apply to private homes like the Beverly Crest mansion. He said there has been a 25% jump in house party calls in his division in recent months.
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office has said homeowners with a history of renting to partygoers could face criminal prosecution and six months in jail.


latimes--2020-08-05--FBI raid at Jake Paul's Calabasas mansion tied to disturbance at shopping mall

A SWAT team was on hand Wednesday as the FBI served a search warrant at the Calabasas mansion of controversial YouTube influencer Jake Paul , sources confirmed to The Times .
The FBI said the raid was tied to an incident in May in which Paul allegedly was involved in some kind of disturbance at an Arizona shopping mall .
Search warrants were also served in Nevada and Arizona .
“ The FBI is executing a federal search warrant at a residence in Calabasas in connection with an ongoing investigation .
The affidavit in support of the search warrant has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am , therefore , prohibited from commenting as to the nature of the investigation .
No arrests are planned , ” an FBI representative said in a statement .
Details about the investigation were not released , but sources said the early-morning raid was related to a June riot at an Arizona mall in which police say Paul was involved .
A SWAT team was used to enter Paul ’ s home , law enforcement sources said .
Agents trained to make high-risk entries are used when intelligence suggests there are weapons or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the premises .
Sources said multiple firearms were found on the property .
Video showed Los Angeles County sheriff ’ s deputies carrying at least five long guns to a cruiser parked in front of the mansion and securing the weapons inside the vehicle .
After the initial search , federal agents left Paul ’ s home in a procession of vehicles , including an armored SWAT truck , a dark van and a truck with several camouflage-dressed agents riding in the back .
Paul has had run-ins with law enforcement in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police announced he would face misdemeanor charges following a riot at a mall outside Phoenix .
Paul , 23 , was identified as a participant in the melee at Scottsdale Fashion Square and was charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly , the Scottsdale Police Department said in a statement at the time .
Police determined that “ Paul was present after the protest was declared an unlawful assembly and the rioters were urged to leave the area by police.
” He entered and remained inside the mall when it was closed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ merely trying to find people protesting the death of George Floyd , according to the Associated Press .
On Wednesday , officials in Arizona said they were dropping all charges against Paul , and two other men — Arman Izadi and Andrew Leon — in connection with the mall riot .
Scottsdale Police Sgt .
Ben Hoster said that a federal investigation into the incident is being conducted and that the Scottsdale Police Department and Scottsdale city attorney ’ s office are coordinating with the U.S. attorney ’ s office for the District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case .
Scottsdale police say the riot ultimately resulted in burglaries and thefts inside the large mall .
Paul has adamantly denied being involved in the incident but says he did film it .
“ To be absolutely clear , neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism , ” Paul said on Twitter .
“ We filmed everything we saw in an effort to share our experience and bring more attention to the anger felt in every neighborhood we traveled to ; we were strictly documenting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paul threw a large house party in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Videos captured at the July 11 gathering showed dozens of young people mixing without masks or social distancing .
In the clips , partygoers roll dice and drink , swing from a raised excavator crane and pull a car into the packed lobby of .
Mayor Alicia Weintraub criticized the celebrity at the time and said authorities would begin to fine people $ 100 for not wearing masks and shut down large gatherings .
“ It ’ s completely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that during this time , ” she said .
“ People need to be wearing masks and people need to be keeping their distance .
You can ’ t be having parties with over 100 people.
” “ I haven ’ t been in a scandal , ” Paul said at the time of the house party .
“ I ’ ve been in a false accusation .
”

A SWAT team was on hand Wednesday as the FBI served a search warrant at the Calabasas mansion of controversial YouTube influencer Jake Paul, sources confirmed to The Times.
The FBI said the raid was tied to an incident in May in which Paul allegedly was involved in some kind of disturbance at an Arizona shopping mall. Search warrants were also served in Nevada and Arizona.
“The FBI is executing a federal search warrant at a residence in Calabasas in connection with an ongoing investigation. The affidavit in support of the search warrant has been sealed by a judge and I am, therefore, prohibited from commenting as to the nature of the investigation. No arrests are planned,” an FBI representative said in a statement.
Details about the investigation were not released, but sources said the early-morning raid was related to a June riot at an Arizona mall in which police say Paul was involved.
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A SWAT team was used to enter Paul’s home, law enforcement sources said. Agents trained to make high-risk entries are used when intelligence suggests there are weapons or people who authorities believe could become violent on the premises.
Sources said multiple firearms were found on the property. Video showed Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies carrying at least five long guns to a cruiser parked in front of the mansion and securing the weapons inside the vehicle.
After the initial search, federal agents left Paul’s home in a procession of vehicles, including an armored SWAT truck, a dark van and a truck with several camouflage-dressed agents riding in the back.
Paul has had run-ins with law enforcement in the past.
In June, Arizona police announced he would face misdemeanor charges following a riot at a mall outside Phoenix. Paul, 23, was identified as a participant in the melee at Scottsdale Fashion Square and was charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly, the Scottsdale Police Department said in a statement at the time.
Police determined that “Paul was present after the protest was declared an unlawful assembly and the rioters were urged to leave the area by police.” He entered and remained inside the mall when it was closed, police said. Paul said he was merely trying to find people protesting the death of George Floyd, according to the Associated Press.
On Wednesday, officials in Arizona said they were dropping all charges against Paul, and two other men — Arman Izadi and Andrew Leon — in connection with the mall riot. Scottsdale Police Sgt. Ben Hoster said that a federal investigation into the incident is being conducted and that the Scottsdale Police Department and Scottsdale city attorney’s office are coordinating with the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Arizona and the FBI on the case.
Scottsdale police say the riot ultimately resulted in burglaries and thefts inside the large mall.
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Paul has adamantly denied being involved in the incident but says he did film it.
“To be absolutely clear, neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism,” Paul said on Twitter. “We filmed everything we saw in an effort to share our experience and bring more attention to the anger felt in every neighborhood we traveled to; we were strictly documenting, not engaging.”
Last month, Paul threw a large house party in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Videos captured at the July 11 gathering showed dozens of young people mixing without masks or social distancing. In the clips, partygoers roll dice and drink, swing from a raised excavator crane and pull a car into the packed lobby of Paul’s Calabasas mansion .
Mayor Alicia Weintraub criticized the celebrity at the time and said authorities would begin to fine people $100 for not wearing masks and shut down large gatherings.
“It’s completely unacceptable to be interacting with people like that during this time,” she said. “People need to be wearing masks and people need to be keeping their distance. You can’t be having parties with over 100 people.”
“I haven’t been in a scandal,” Paul said at the time of the house party. “I’ve been in a false accusation.”


latimes--2020-08-05--The children who need preschool the most are getting the least

Darlene Bahena flounced around her dusty backyard in a sleeveless blue princess dress on a recent weekday morning , twirling among her three older sisters as she belted the “ Frozen II ” power ballad “ Into the Unknown ” into her new karaoke machine .
The dress and the toy were presents for her fourth birthday — a milestone for any child , but a pivotal one for children like Darlene who are growing up in poverty .
For decades , experts have understood 4 as an academic fault line , the year that cleaves wealthy and even middle-class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Yet amid the pandemic , public preschools such as Darlene ’ s have struggled to reopen , despite being classed as essential .
When they do open — probably weeks or months after most private preschools — as many as two-thirds of classroom spots for 4-year-olds could be gone .
“ Before the pandemic , Black and Latino children already had a lack of access to preschool , particularly high-quality preschool , ” said Elisha Smith-Arrillaga , executive director of the Education Trust–West and an expert on California ’ s educational landscape @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inequity .
We could create a huge chasm.
” Last year alone , the state and federal governments poured close to $ 4 billion into California ’ s public preschool programs , yet studies show tens of thousands of eligible children were still being left out .
Among those , close to a third lived in L.A. County .
More lived in Darlene ’ s ZIP Code — 90011 — than anywhere else in the state .
“ That is a very high-need area — families who qualify for the program must be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal income guidelines are a lot less than the state , ” said Sonia Guerrero , who runs Head Start programs for the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation , or MAOF , a large local provider .
“ A good 75 % are Spanish-speaking only , a lot of them are single parents .
We have a lot of families who are getting depressed and stressed out.
” In March , the neighborhood , in Historic South-Central L.A. , had about 20 programs with some 1,600 spots for early learners like Darlene : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 140 in California State Preschool , and more than 500 in the Los Angeles Unified School District ’ s early education centers .
An additional 311 children attended LAUSD ’ s expanded transitional kindergarten programs specifically for low-income 4-year-olds .
It ’ s unclear when or how any of those children may be able to return .
LAUSD has not yet released a timeline for any of its more than 26,000 state and district preschoolers or its roughly 20,000 transitional kindergartners to come back to school .
Like Darlene , nearly all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funded Head Start programs could be more nimble — but there challenges also loom .
MAOF , which runs the Lindsay Center Head Start at which Darlene is registered , hopes to bring about 40 % of students back to the classroom as early as September .
The remaining 60 % — nearly 350 children in her ZIP Code alone — will continue to meet with their teachers remotely for a minimum of 30 minutes twice or three times a week .
For Darlene , who will be among them , that means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shares with her 5-year-old sister , Leilani , in a two-bedroom in-law unit where her mother , Maria Reyes , nurses a newborn and her father , Moises Bahena , sleeps after his graveyard shift at a local produce wholesaler .
“ The teachers , they do their best , they ’ re very creative , they sing songs and read books , but a child ’ s attention span is just not sustained , ” Guerrero said .
“ Children learn by play , by doing , by being engaged with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homes we set them up to the best of our ability , but it ’ s not the same.
” Still , for Reyes , the decision to continue with remote instruction came as a relief .
The stay-at-home mom learned she was pregnant at about the time the novel coronavirus hit California , and with the baby due this month , the prospect of four big sisters in four different classrooms had filled her with dread .
“ I started feeling scared , my kids started feeling scared , ” Reyes said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so my children really have not left home since March.
” Other families have struggled more to adapt .
“ It ’ s not the same , no matter if a parent is there trying to reteach what they hear the teachers are saying online — they need more than one hour , ” said Carolina Garcia , who serves on MAOF ’ s Policy Committee with Reyes and whose son Alvero Molina Jr. attends preschool in Huntington Park .
“ I feel our children are getting cheated out of their education.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to come up with another word other than gap ” for the gulf of educational opportunity separating rich and poor children , said Deborah Bergeron , director of the national Office of Head Start .
“ The very kids who need a foundation the most are the ones who are going to be denied that foundation.
” Part of the reason is that public preschools have been refined over decades to maximize the number of children they can serve in the same space with the same materials — efficiency that could now shrink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules .
Take double sessions , also called part day programs — a staple of public preschool , virtually unheard of outside of it .
In private nursery schools , all children start in the morning and leave in the afternoon .
By contrast , many public preschool programs run in shifts to increase the number of students they serve , with the morning shift starting as early as 7 a.m. and the swing shift beginning as late as 2 p.m. About a thousand children attend double shift programs in Historic South-Central — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public preschool programs .
In the course of a typical day , a center licensed for 70 children could welcome as many as 140 , all of them playing with the same toys and hugging the same teachers in shifts as little as half an hour apart .
“ The level of cleaning required takes so long it may not be logistically possible , ” said Carrie Gillispie , an Ed Trust senior analyst .
Space too is often far more constrained in public settings than in private ones .
LAUSD and California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campuses and often share playgrounds and toilets with those schools ’ transitional kindergarten programs .
In the Bahena sisters ’ neighborhood , scores of 4-year-olds use the same sinks , slides and sand toys throughout the day , and inspection reports show some LAUSD early education centers have more than 40 children and half a dozen staff together in one classroom .
“ We have systems that were designed to serve larger groups of kids , ” said Cristina Alvarado , executive director of Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles .
“ Nobody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 kids or less in a room .
It goes against everything we engineered.
” As programs scramble to redesign their facilities , administrators must make agonizing decisions over who should return in a system that already left out tens of thousands of qualified children every year .
“ It ’ s a really huge philosophical question , ” said Keesha Woods , executive director of the Los Angeles County Office of Education ’ s Head Start and Early Learning Division .
“ Even if we open classrooms ... anywhere from half to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” For now , the choice is left up to a points system of hardships and vulnerabilities scored from each new family ’ s intake questionnaire .
“ If they ’ re a family with homelessness , foster care , domestic violence , they get more points , ” Guerrero explained .
“ We redid our criteria selection system to give out more points to working families , and more points to 4-year-olds.
” Those who score high enough could soon be poring over “ The Cat in the Hat , ” Darlene @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest , the iPad will have to suffice .
“ I know they ’ ll make the right decision with how many kids they have , ” Reyes said .
“ I have no problem teaching my daughter , but I also want her to have that classroom experience .
”

Maria Reyes, second from left, spends time with her daughters Marilyn, 9, from left, Darlene, 4, Sophia, 6, and Leilani, 5, right, near their home in Los Angeles on July 27.
Darlene Bahena flounced around her dusty backyard in a sleeveless blue princess dress on a recent weekday morning, twirling among her three older sisters as she belted the “Frozen II” power ballad “Into the Unknown” into her new karaoke machine.
The dress and the toy were presents for her fourth birthday — a milestone for any child, but a pivotal one for children like Darlene who are growing up in poverty.
For decades, experts have understood 4 as an academic fault line, the year that cleaves wealthy and even middle-class children from their poor and working-class peers. Yet amid the pandemic, public preschools such as Darlene’s have struggled to reopen, despite being classed as essential. When they do open — probably weeks or months after most private preschools — as many as two-thirds of classroom spots for 4-year-olds could be gone.
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“Before the pandemic, Black and Latino children already had a lack of access to preschool, particularly high-quality preschool,” said Elisha Smith-Arrillaga, executive director of the Education Trust–West and an expert on California’s educational landscape. “The pandemic is exacerbating that inequity. We could create a huge chasm.”
Last year alone, the state and federal governments poured close to $4 billion into California’s public preschool programs, yet studies show tens of thousands of eligible children were still being left out. Among those, close to a third lived in L.A. County. More lived in Darlene’s ZIP Code — 90011 — than anywhere else in the state.
“That is a very high-need area — families who qualify for the program must be under the federal poverty line, and the federal income guidelines are a lot less than the state,” said Sonia Guerrero, who runs Head Start programs for the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, or MAOF, a large local provider. “A good 75% are Spanish-speaking only, a lot of them are single parents. We have a lot of families who are getting depressed and stressed out.”
In March, the neighborhood, in Historic South-Central L.A., had about 20 programs with some 1,600 spots for early learners like Darlene: nearly 950 in Head Start, close to 140 in California State Preschool, and more than 500 in the Los Angeles Unified School District’s early education centers. An additional 311 children attended LAUSD’s expanded transitional kindergarten programs specifically for low-income 4-year-olds.
It’s unclear when or how any of those children may be able to return. LAUSD has not yet released a timeline for any of its more than 26,000 state and district preschoolers or its roughly 20,000 transitional kindergartners to come back to school. Like Darlene, nearly all of them are already 4.
Federally funded Head Start programs could be more nimble — but there challenges also loom. MAOF, which runs the Lindsay Center Head Start at which Darlene is registered, hopes to bring about 40% of students back to the classroom as early as September. The remaining 60% — nearly 350 children in her ZIP Code alone — will continue to meet with their teachers remotely for a minimum of 30 minutes twice or three times a week.
For Darlene, who will be among them, that means learning her ABCs on an iPad she shares with her 5-year-old sister, Leilani, in a two-bedroom in-law unit where her mother, Maria Reyes, nurses a newborn and her father, Moises Bahena, sleeps after his graveyard shift at a local produce wholesaler.
Maria Reyes, right, and her husband Moises Bahena, watch over their daughters Leilani, 5, from left, Marilyn, 9, Sophia, 6, and Darlene, 4, at their home in Los Angeles on July 27. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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“The teachers, they do their best, they’re very creative, they sing songs and read books, but a child’s attention span is just not sustained,” Guerrero said. “Children learn by play, by doing, by being engaged with the materials in the environment. In our homes we set them up to the best of our ability, but it’s not the same.”
Still, for Reyes, the decision to continue with remote instruction came as a relief. The stay-at-home mom learned she was pregnant at about the time the novel coronavirus hit California, and with the baby due this month, the prospect of four big sisters in four different classrooms had filled her with dread.
“I started feeling scared, my kids started feeling scared,” Reyes said. “My 9-year-old has asthma, so my children really have not left home since March.”
Other families have struggled more to adapt.
“It’s not the same, no matter if a parent is there trying to reteach what they hear the teachers are saying online — they need more than one hour,” said Carolina Garcia, who serves on MAOF’s Policy Committee with Reyes and whose son Alvero Molina Jr. attends preschool in Huntington Park. “I feel our children are getting cheated out of their education.”
Experts fear the same thing.
“We’re going to have to come up with another word other than gap” for the gulf of educational opportunity separating rich and poor children, said Deborah Bergeron, director of the national Office of Head Start. “The very kids who need a foundation the most are the ones who are going to be denied that foundation.”
Part of the reason is that public preschools have been refined over decades to maximize the number of children they can serve in the same space with the same materials — efficiency that could now shrink their capacity dramatically under new public health rules.
Take double sessions, also called part day programs — a staple of public preschool, virtually unheard of outside of it.
In private nursery schools, all children start in the morning and leave in the afternoon. By contrast, many public preschool programs run in shifts to increase the number of students they serve, with the morning shift starting as early as 7 a.m. and the swing shift beginning as late as 2 p.m. About a thousand children attend double shift programs in Historic South-Central — more than half of all those in public preschool programs.
In the course of a typical day, a center licensed for 70 children could welcome as many as 140, all of them playing with the same toys and hugging the same teachers in shifts as little as half an hour apart.
Those swing shifts can’t happen this year.
“The level of cleaning required takes so long it may not be logistically possible,” said Carrie Gillispie, an Ed Trust senior analyst.
Space too is often far more constrained in public settings than in private ones. LAUSD and California State preschools sit on local elementary school campuses and often share playgrounds and toilets with those schools’ transitional kindergarten programs. In the Bahena sisters’ neighborhood, scores of 4-year-olds use the same sinks, slides and sand toys throughout the day, and inspection reports show some LAUSD early education centers have more than 40 children and half a dozen staff together in one classroom.
“We have systems that were designed to serve larger groups of kids,” said Cristina Alvarado, executive director of Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles. “Nobody ever dreamed we would have to have 10 kids or less in a room. It goes against everything we engineered.”
As programs scramble to redesign their facilities, administrators must make agonizing decisions over who should return in a system that already left out tens of thousands of qualified children every year.
“It’s a really huge philosophical question,” said Keesha Woods, executive director of the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Head Start and Early Learning Division. “Even if we open classrooms ... anywhere from half to two-thirds of the children are left out.”
For now, the choice is left up to a points system of hardships and vulnerabilities scored from each new family’s intake questionnaire.
“If they’re a family with homelessness, foster care, domestic violence, they get more points,” Guerrero explained. “We redid our criteria selection system to give out more points to working families, and more points to 4-year-olds.”
Those who score high enough could soon be poring over “The Cat in the Hat,” Darlene’s favorite book. For the rest, the iPad will have to suffice.
“I know they’ll make the right decision with how many kids they have,” Reyes said. “I have no problem teaching my daughter, but I also want her to have that classroom experience.”


latimes--2020-08-05--What jobs did your parents work to get you where you are today? Readers respond

Some time ago , I posted a question on social media that scores of people responded to : What jobs @ @ @ @ @ get you where you are today ?
I shared a bit about my mother , @ @ @ @ @ who worked as a nanny and a garment factory worker ; she cleaned houses , @ @ @ @ @ holes in doorknobs , steam pressed people ’ s clothes .
“ ¡Échele ganas , @ @ @ @ @ tell me .
Give it all you got .
It ’ s a phrase , @ @ @ @ @ many immigrants teach their kids early on to push them to aim high .
Here @ @ @ @ @ my Twitter thread .

What jobs did your parents work to help you get to where you are?
Some time ago, I posted a question on social media that scores of people responded to:
What jobs did your parents work to get you where you are today?
I shared a bit about my mother, an immigrant from El Salvador who worked as a nanny and a garment factory worker; she cleaned houses, polished car rims, drilled holes in doorknobs, steam pressed people’s clothes.
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“¡Échele ganas,” she’d always tell me. Give it all you got.
It’s a phrase, a call to action, many immigrants teach their kids early on to push them to aim high.
Here are a few responses to my Twitter thread.
Xavier Becerra
Mom: Clerical worker
Dad: Construction worker
Me: Attorney General for the State of California — Xavier Becerra (@AGBecerra) December 10, 2019
Xavier Becerra and his parents at his swearing-in ceremony.
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Oscar Ramos
My mom cleaned houses and my dad did landscaping. They both loved seeing people react when they pulled up to their jobs with Harvard stickers on their cars. 😊 — Oscar Ramos (@OscarRamosSD) December 10, 2019
Oscar Ramos, a high school teacher in Maryland, and his parents.
Elsy Guardado
Mom: Housekeeper & Nanny
Dad: Laborer, Mover & Truck Driver (passed away from cancer 12/21/18)
Me: @pepperdine alum, VP of Public Affairs at Ogilvy & currently making some life moves. Dad always said “para adelante mija!” Those words mean everything. pic.twitter.com/inoDuGfEph — Elsy (@elsyguardado2) December 11, 2019
Elsy Guardado with her parents, Argelia Guardado and Baudilio Guardado.
Elena Rhee
My parents worked as night janitors in L.A. when I was little and took me with them bc no childcare. They turned drudgery into magic with games and stories. Wrote a picture book about that time—The Paper Kingdom comes out 2/18/2020 from Penguin Random House ❤ — Helena Rhee (THE PAPER KINGDOM 2/18/2020) (@HelenaRhee) December 11, 2019
Helena Rhee with her parents. She recently wrote a book about those childhood years when they, as janitors, would take her to work with them.
Emmy Ruiz
My parents worked in the fields.
My mom worked multiple jobs so we could go to college.
My mom would sew our pediatrician’s scrubs so she could afford healthcare for us.
My mom is everything. #ImmigrantKid #TeamMom https://t.co/1BxE8qUW8F — Emmy Ruiz (@emmyruiz) December 13, 2019
Emmy Ruiz
Nicolas Enriquez
My dad worked knocking door to door selling English lessons on cassettes, he sold only 1 and to himself because he wanted to learn English, many years later he paid for me to go live and study in NY, I can't thank him enough. — Nicolas Enriquez (@nicoenri12) December 10, 2019


latimes--2020-08-05--Coronavirus fears complicate Apple fire evacuation plans

As a massive pillar of smoke spewed ash and debris over the Inland Empire , Ken Reich found himself in the silent gymnasium of Beaumont High School , a designated evacuation center for the Apple fire .
It was Monday morning , and the place was empty , despite orders from law enforcement for nearly 8,000 residents to flee their homes .
“ This is an unusual situation for us , ” the Red Cross spokesman said .
“ For the first time , we ’ re setting people up in hotels instead of a shelter , where coronavirus could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 26,000 acres scorched by the growing wildfire , emergency officials have been scrambling to avoid COVID-19 outbreaks among evacuees and firefighters .
The decision to essentially abandon traditional evacuation centers has drastically altered a Southern California routine .
Officials note that while it has historically been difficult to get residents to evacuate their homes in the face of approaching flames , the pandemic threatens to make the process all the more challenging .
With the threat of infection on many people ’ s minds , Reich said , the agency had “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ B ... funded by the generosity of the American people.
” As of Tuesday , 43 families had been sheltered in nine local hotels , with some averaging rates of more than $ 100 per night , a stark departure from previous years when panic-stricken families slept cot to cot and waited in food lines in crowded high school gymnasiums .
“ At this time , the Red Cross is prioritizing emergency hotel lodging for evacuees , but we understand there may be a need to open congregate shelters at the request of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokeswoman Jenelle Eli in an email .
Due to social distancing and other safety requirements , the evacuation center at Beaumont High School could house only 50 residents if the county were to run out of hotel rooms , said Shane Reichardt , spokesman for the Riverside County Emergency Management Department .
Other schools and county facilities would open up if more space were needed .
“ We ’ re always training for [ a ] worst-case scenario , this event that ’ s always got a lot of complexity and someone throws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Reichardt said .
“ We don ’ t want to ask for any more , but managing multiple incidents is not uncommon for us.
” How the coronavirus will influence people ’ s decisions to evacuate remains to be seen .
“ People would rather be at home , especially older people who ’ ve lived in their communities and have seen what it goes through , ” Reichardt said .
“ They feel like they know better than public safety officials.
” But in the wake of the Camp fire that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ town of Paradise in 2018 , Reichardt said , “ there ’ s a need to act quickly and get out when public safety officials are telling people.
” To that end , authorities are being more selective about whom they tell to leave .
They are refining evacuation zones and notifying residents through traditional and social media channels and their app , Alert RivCo .
“ In the past it was really just draw a box and say , ‘ Get everyone out of there , ’ ” Reichardt said .
Yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were still Apple fire holdouts .
Reichardt said he has heard of people staying to protect their homes , their relatives and , in one case , a giant pet turtle .
On Monday , a group of neighbors from the small San Bernardino Mountain community of Oak Glen had remained despite evacuation orders .
They said COVID-19 had little to do with their decision .
Instead , they said they were staying so that they could defend their homes from fire .
They sat at picnic tables with a panoramic view of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slopes , igniting a forest of incense cedars , oak trees and ponderosa and Coulter pines .
The village had survived numerous major wildfires over the last decade , and these residents figured their water resources , familiarity with local roads and spirit of independence would protect their homes and families .
“ We ’ re going to stick it out , ” said Devin Riley , 55 , manager of Los Rios Rancho , an apple farm and country store operation on a nature preserve owned by the Wildlands Conservancy .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rural , independent types who have been through this before , ” he said .
But officials are concerned that worries about COVID may keep even more residents away than usual .
“ Even though the ‘ COVID-19 is no big deal ’ group is the most vocal , the people who have substantial concerns about it , they just stay home .
I ’ m a little concerned ... they simply will not evacuate , ” said Riverside County Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser .
“ If someone gets an evacuation order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re going the extra mile to ensure them that their safety is being taken care of.
” The county has had a plan in place for evacuations during COVID for months , Kaiser said .
The Red Cross too .
Shelters will have more hand-washing stations , staggered meal times and less capacity to ensure social distancing .
Residents who arrive and have COVID-19 symptoms are redirected to a different facility .
“ Our interests are aligned here , ” Kaiser said .
“ I don ’ t want you to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to get sick .
The idea here is that if you get sick , it ’ s a failure of a system I ’ ve designed.
” A separate concern is notifying people when it ’ s time to return home .
Only a fraction of the county is set up for alerts through Alert RivCo , Reichardt said .
In the meantime , firefighters are battling the blaze while also navigating their own coronavirus precautions .
“ In a non-coronavirus world , we wouldn ’ t be using our air resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman .
“ Does it mean that firefighting is more expensive now ?
We won ’ t know until we tally up the costs at the end of the fire season.
” New emergency response protocols were also devised this year for establishing camps used to house firefighters , the support personnel who assist in logistics and supplies , and inmates who help in clearing fire breaks .
“ Our biggest concerns in a post-coronavirus world is safety at fire camps during these larger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Things are more spread out and conducted in open air — and there are more hand-washing facilities.
” “ We work closely with local sheriff ’ s departments to make recommendations that take into account the status of a given fire and where fire activity is increasing , ” she said .
“ But our overall concern when making recommendations about evacuations is the safety of human life and property — coronavirus or not .
“ Most people would prefer to risk being exposed to coronavirus , ” she added , “ than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trapped in a wildfire.
” Though only about 1 % to 3 % of evacuees typically stay overnight at shelters , there are plans in place in which the Red Cross could rapidly shelter up to 5 % to 10 % of evacuees from a major incident by tapping a network of agencies to help steer residents to hotels , schools , churches and college dorms , said Denise Everhart , the Red Cross ’ Pacific Division disaster executive .
“ This is a new world for all of us , and this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ And the way we ’ re overcoming it is making sure we have all the right partners and we ’ re all talking to each other .
”

As a massive pillar of smoke spewed ash and debris over the Inland Empire, Ken Reich found himself in the silent gymnasium of Beaumont High School, a designated evacuation center for the Apple fire. It was Monday morning, and the place was empty, despite orders from law enforcement for nearly 8,000 residents to flee their homes.
“This is an unusual situation for us,” the Red Cross spokesman said. “For the first time, we’re setting people up in hotels instead of a shelter, where coronavirus could be a real problem.”
With more than 26,000 acres scorched by the growing wildfire, emergency officials have been scrambling to avoid COVID-19 outbreaks among evacuees and firefighters. The decision to essentially abandon traditional evacuation centers has drastically altered a Southern California routine. Officials note that while it has historically been difficult to get residents to evacuate their homes in the face of approaching flames, the pandemic threatens to make the process all the more challenging.
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With the threat of infection on many people’s minds, Reich said, the agency had “come up with a very expensive Plan B ... funded by the generosity of the American people.”
As of Tuesday, 43 families had been sheltered in nine local hotels, with some averaging rates of more than $100 per night, a stark departure from previous years when panic-stricken families slept cot to cot and waited in food lines in crowded high school gymnasiums.
“At this time, the Red Cross is prioritizing emergency hotel lodging for evacuees, but we understand there may be a need to open congregate shelters at the request of local officials,” said Red Cross spokeswoman Jenelle Eli in an email.
Due to social distancing and other safety requirements, the evacuation center at Beaumont High School could house only 50 residents if the county were to run out of hotel rooms, said Shane Reichardt, spokesman for the Riverside County Emergency Management Department. Other schools and county facilities would open up if more space were needed.
“We’re always training for [a] worst-case scenario, this event that’s always got a lot of complexity and someone throws in a wild card in there,” Reichardt said. “We don’t want to ask for any more, but managing multiple incidents is not uncommon for us.”
Advertisement
How the coronavirus will influence people’s decisions to evacuate remains to be seen.
“People would rather be at home, especially older people who’ve lived in their communities and have seen what it goes through,” Reichardt said. “They feel like they know better than public safety officials.”
But in the wake of the Camp fire that killed 85 people in and around the town of Paradise in 2018, Reichardt said, “there’s a need to act quickly and get out when public safety officials are telling people.”
To that end, authorities are being more selective about whom they tell to leave. They are refining evacuation zones and notifying residents through traditional and social media channels and their app, Alert RivCo.
“In the past it was really just draw a box and say, ‘Get everyone out of there,’” Reichardt said.
Yet even with this new approach, there were still Apple fire holdouts. Reichardt said he has heard of people staying to protect their homes, their relatives and, in one case, a giant pet turtle.
On Monday, a group of neighbors from the small San Bernardino Mountain community of Oak Glen had remained despite evacuation orders. They said COVID-19 had little to do with their decision. Instead, they said they were staying so that they could defend their homes from fire.
They sat at picnic tables with a panoramic view of the fire as it crab-crawled down steep slopes, igniting a forest of incense cedars, oak trees and ponderosa and Coulter pines.
The village had survived numerous major wildfires over the last decade, and these residents figured their water resources, familiarity with local roads and spirit of independence would protect their homes and families.
“We’re going to stick it out,” said Devin Riley, 55, manager of Los Rios Rancho, an apple farm and country store operation on a nature preserve owned by the Wildlands Conservancy.
“A lot of folks up here are rural, independent types who have been through this before,” he said.
But officials are concerned that worries about COVID may keep even more residents away than usual.
“Even though the ‘COVID-19 is no big deal’ group is the most vocal, the people who have substantial concerns about it, they just stay home. I’m a little concerned ... they simply will not evacuate,” said Riverside County Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser. “If someone gets an evacuation order, obey. The idea is that we’re going the extra mile to ensure them that their safety is being taken care of.”
The county has had a plan in place for evacuations during COVID for months, Kaiser said. The Red Cross too. Shelters will have more hand-washing stations, staggered meal times and less capacity to ensure social distancing. Residents who arrive and have COVID-19 symptoms are redirected to a different facility.
“Our interests are aligned here,” Kaiser said. “I don’t want you to get sick, you don’t want to get sick. The idea here is that if you get sick, it’s a failure of a system I’ve designed.”
A separate concern is notifying people when it’s time to return home. Only a fraction of the county is set up for alerts through Alert RivCo, Reichardt said.
In the meantime, firefighters are battling the blaze while also navigating their own coronavirus precautions.
“In a non-coronavirus world, we wouldn’t be using our air resources this aggressively,” said Christine McMorrow, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman. “Does it mean that firefighting is more expensive now? We won’t know until we tally up the costs at the end of the fire season.”
New emergency response protocols were also devised this year for establishing camps used to house firefighters, the support personnel who assist in logistics and supplies, and inmates who help in clearing fire breaks.
“Our biggest concerns in a post-coronavirus world is safety at fire camps during these larger wildfires,” she said. “Things are more spread out and conducted in open air — and there are more hand-washing facilities.”
Evacuation protocols, however, remain unchanged.
“We work closely with local sheriff’s departments to make recommendations that take into account the status of a given fire and where fire activity is increasing,” she said. “But our overall concern when making recommendations about evacuations is the safety of human life and property — coronavirus or not.
“Most people would prefer to risk being exposed to coronavirus,” she added, “than to stay at home and risk being trapped in a wildfire.”
Though only about 1% to 3% of evacuees typically stay overnight at shelters, there are plans in place in which the Red Cross could rapidly shelter up to 5% to 10% of evacuees from a major incident by tapping a network of agencies to help steer residents to hotels, schools, churches and college dorms, said Denise Everhart, the Red Cross’ Pacific Division disaster executive.
“This is a new world for all of us, and this is challenging,” Everhart said. “And the way we’re overcoming it is making sure we have all the right partners and we’re all talking to each other.”


latimes--2020-08-05--Women break silence, tell stories of rape, groping by Ron Jeremy over two decades

Lianne Young still remembers in vivid detail the night Ron Jeremy sneaked up behind her on the Sunset Strip .
The adult film actress , who went by the name “ Billie Britt , ” was wearing a bikini inside the former House of Blues at a porn industry Halloween party when she said Jeremy shoved her onto a table and forced himself inside her .
The ordeal lasted only seconds — Young says she fought Jeremy off — but there were at least three other people from the industry in the room , she said .
None of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she told her story to colleagues years later .
“ People were just like , ‘ That ’ s Ron , ’ ” said Young , now 45 .
Fear of Jeremy ’ s stature in the business also led adult entertainer Elle Hell to keep quiet after Jeremy attacked her in Chicago in 2014 , she says .
Elle alleges that , despite the fact that she broke down crying and repeatedly said “ no , ” Jeremy forced oral sex on her and tried to rape her .
“ You have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ validating his sexual assaults because we work in an industry where we are ‘ whores , ’ ” she said .
Los Angeles prosecutors charged Jeremy in late June with sexually assaulting four women in West Hollywood .
Within days , prosecutors said they had been contacted by 25 women across the country who made allegations “ ranging from misdemeanor sexual battery to rape ” against the man who for decades was one of the porn industry ’ s most visible celebrities , according to court records .
Following his arrest , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also received 30 allegations of forcible rape and groping against Jeremy involving incidents that took place in L.A. County since 2000 , according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing case .
The claims are part of the Sheriff ’ s Department investigation of Jeremy , but none have been presented to prosecutors for charging yet , the official said .
It was not clear how many of the 30 claims received by the Sheriff ’ s Department overlapped with the 25 new allegations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though only 13 of those 25 claims took place in L.A. County .
Six additional women , including Young and Elle , have contacted the L.A. Times since Jeremy ’ s arrest , describing interactions with him including unwanted touching as well as violent rape .
The allegations span two decades and both coasts .
Jeremy ’ s attorney , Stuart Goldfarb , said he was unaware of the allegations made by the women quoted in this article , adding he was focused on defending his client against the charges he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s too early for me to even take it to him and discuss it , ” Goldfarb said .
“ There ’ s so many other things that we ’ re working on right now .
...
I know as much about them as you said to me.
” Jeremy remains jailed in lieu of $ 6.6-million bail and has pleaded not guilty .
The Los Angeles County district attorney ’ s office declined to comment on this article .
The women had not contacted police or previously told their stories publicly before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would face retribution or that they would not be believed .
But each account shared one commonality : Jeremy , they said , never hesitated .
If he saw something he wanted , he took it .
“ He does things without asking .
There ’ s a lot of people who assume because we ’ re adult actresses that it ’ s OK to just touch us inappropriately , ” said Alana Evans , president of the Adult Performers Actors Guild .
Evans was at the party where Young alleges Jeremy raped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the incident in the early 2000s .
Evans described the alleged assault in near-identical terms to Young ’ s account .
Pat Cronenberg , a business associate of Young , also said she told him about the alleged attack in 2019 .
Rumors of Jeremy ’ s alleged misconduct have long swirled in the adult entertainment industry , but only exploded into the public eye in recent years .
In 2017 , adult entertainer Ginger Banks compiled allegations against Jeremy in a 10-minute YouTube video that has since been viewed more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are now planning to interview Banks as they search for additional victims , she said .
Months later , Rolling Stone published allegations from a dozen women who said Jeremy either groped them or , in two cases , violently raped them .
The claims led to Jeremy ’ s expulsion from the adult film industry , as he was banned from both the Exxxotica Expo and the Adult Video News awards .
In an article last month , Rolling Stone detailed several more groping allegations from women outside the adult entertainment industry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never rape anyone .
All serious allegations have been investigated by police and dismissed by judges , ” Jeremy wrote in response to the 2017 Rolling Stone article .
In spite of the allegations , Jeremy was invited to join dozens of women at a 2018 birthday celebration for brothel owner and reality TV star Dennis Hof at the Bunny Ranch near Carson City , Nev. Hof died later that weekend , and his body was discovered by Jeremy .
Less than 48 hours earlier , Jeremy allegedly assaulted a woman during Hof @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sex worker who was formerly employed by Hof .
The woman , who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals , said she was horrified by Jeremy ’ s presence due to the recent allegations .
“ I was just super sick that Ron was even in the building , ” the woman said , noting Jeremy was a frequent visitor .
“ We all had seen things happening at the ranch , but I was just trying to fly low and do my own thing .
But this time ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekend of the birthday party , she said , Hof was introducing Jeremy to several women who worked at the ranch .
The woman alleged Hof approached her , took her hand and placed it on Jeremy ’ s penis without consent .
When the party moved to the Bunny Ranch restaurant , the woman said Jeremy led her away from the partygoers and toward the back of the building .
She said she tried to signal to co-workers , mouthing “ help me , ” but couldn ’ t get their attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside area behind the restaurant , pressed her up against a railing and forced himself inside her , she said .
“ He bends me over the railing at the restaurant , lifts up my dress and does his thing , ” she said .
“ I ’ m in shock .
I don ’ t really know how to process what ’ s going on because it ’ s such a public area .
What do you do ?
” The woman said the attack lasted between 10 and 15 minutes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t scream or anything , ” she said .
“ I guess I didn ’ t know how to react.
” The woman said she did not report the alleged attack to police , in part because it took place just weeks before voters would decide on a ballot measure to shutter a number of Nevada ’ s brothels .
She said she told ranch staff about the alleged attack but nothing was done .
The woman also reported the alleged attack to Banks and a close friend , adult actress Draven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who sporadically worked at Hof ’ s brothels between 2017 and 2019 , said she was also frustrated that Jeremy was there given the looming assault allegations .
She saw the woman and Jeremy were both inside the Bunny Ranch restaurant on the night the alleged attack happened .
The next morning , Draven said , her friend looked shellshocked .
“ Those words that she told me are burned into my brain .
… There ’ s no way she was making any of that up , ” Draven said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dress she was wearing the night of the alleged attack .
Draven also confirmed that the woman reported the incident to a specific staff member .
Draven said they never discussed going to the police , assuming they would be laughed out of the building .
“ I do porn … she was a cam girl … and it ’ s Ron Jeremy , ” Draven said .
“ So no .
No one is going to take us seriously.
” Banks provided The Times with messages — time-stamped less than 24 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened — where the woman describes the assault in graphic terms and expresses fear about Jeremy “ doing this to other women.
” A spokesman for the Bunny Ranch did not respond to an email requesting comment .
In court filings made public , Los Angeles prosecutors detailed a number of uncharged allegations against Jeremy .
One rape accusation from 1997 was unknown to prosecutors until “ the initiation of the present investigation , ” records show .
Jeremy was also accused of forcing oral sex on women in 2006 and 2016 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the filing .
Several women who spoke to The Times said Jeremy crossed lines of consent almost as soon as he met them .
Sabrina Alvarado , a 36-year-old New Jersey woman who has appeared in Playboy and is better known as “ Marcela Latinbabe ” online , said she first met Jeremy at the Exxxotica Expo in Edison , N.J. , in 2015 .
Alvarado said she was a little known “ cam girl ” when she approached Jeremy for a photo .
Alvarado alleged Jeremy immediately grabbed her breasts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ ve been to that convention , maybe five years total , and that ’ s never happened to me with anyone — talent , fans or anything , ” she said .
Alvarado provided pictures to The Times that showed Jeremy clutching and sucking on her breasts .
Though she is smiling in the photos , Alvarado said she did not give Jeremy permission to touch her and was unnerved by his behavior .
“ I was very naïve of what went down … and because this is a famous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know whether that was a normal thing or not , ” she said .
Alvarado ’ s ex-husband , Mauricio Morales , took the pictures and said Jeremy grabbed Alvarado as soon as she asked for a photo .
“ She was getting closer , just to take a normal picture , and that ’ s when he just groped her completely , ” said Morales , who was married to Alvarado from 2003 to 2018 .
Jeremy ’ s brash nature around beautiful women was well-known in the industry , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ performers union .
Frequently , Evans said , women have complained that Jeremy has run a hand up their skirt and tried to digitally penetrate them without consent .
“ He ’ s done that to me , ” Evans said .
“ When enough women describe something that you have felt , then you know , OK , it ’ s absolutely real.
” Evans , who has performed scenes with Jeremy in the past , said she also witnessed him pulling up the skirt of an actress who was asleep while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a porn parody of “ The Brady Bunch ” in the mid-2000s .
“ I look over and I see Ron has grabbed the corner of her dress and is lifting it up to look underneath .
… It immediately made me uncomfortable , ” said Evans , who woke the woman up immediately .
Colleen Pinto , a former adult film actress and exotic dancer in Florida , said Jeremy grabbed her breasts during an appearance at a strip club in 2005 .
Pinto said when she tried to pull away , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a microphone .
“ Any of us that were ever dancers or in the porn industry , we all have a Ron story , ” said Pinto , 46 .
“ You don ’ t ever meet Ron without him doing something to you.
” Victoria Martin , a former dancer who worked with Pinto at a different Florida club , said she remembered Pinto describing Jeremy striking her on stage in the mid-2000s .
Elle Hell said she was new to the industry when a chance encounter with another performer landed her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ near Chicago in 2014 .
Elle said she got into a limousine with about 10 other people , including Jeremy , and drove to a bar .
Not long after they went inside , Elle said Jeremy suddenly pulled her onto his lap .
She claimed she had to use the bathroom to get away but said Jeremy followed her .
After Jeremy tried , and failed , to get access to a private room in the bar , Elle said Jeremy led her back to the limousine that they had arrived in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jeremy forcibly performed oral sex on her .
Elle said she demanded that he stop , but Jeremy slid closer to her .
“ He takes his [ penis ] out , and I remember this vividly , I ’ m crying , ” she said .
Elle said Jeremy repeatedly tried to force himself on her , pressing his penis against her hard enough that he left an abrasion on her genitals , before giving up and growing angry .
Jeremy led her back inside the club , where he wrote her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You would cry , I hope ... if I ever leave , ” he wrote , according to a picture of the note she posted to Twitter with his autograph .
Elle asked The Times not to use her legal name because she had previously been the victim of stalking and harassment .
Blake Clay , an amateur photographer who was in the limousine , said Elle and Jeremy were at the same after-party and that both had disappeared from the group at the bar .
Clay , who took pictures of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexual assault to him later that night .
Another adult performer who was at the party confirmed Elle and Jeremy were there .
The performer , who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals , said Elle later described an assault by Jeremy .
Young , the British actress who accused Jeremy of raping her in 2000 , says she believes he has used his status as porn ’ s elder statesman to gain access to vulnerable young women for years .
Young left the industry and began counseling adult entertainers in England who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contact with friends in the American adult film business .
Some remained supportive of Jeremy over the years .
But Young hopes that , now , people can finally see past his status as an icon .
“ Many people were friends with him , saying , oh , Ron ’ s all right , ” she said .
“ Well , no , he ’ s not all right .
He ’ s not OK .
”

Adult film star Ron Jeremy is charged with sexually assaulting four women in Los Angeles Superior Court. Attorney Stuart Goldfarb is at right.
Lianne Young still remembers in vivid detail the night Ron Jeremy sneaked up behind her on the Sunset Strip.
The adult film actress, who went by the name “Billie Britt,” was wearing a bikini inside the former House of Blues at a porn industry Halloween party when she said Jeremy shoved her onto a table and forced himself inside her.
The ordeal lasted only seconds — Young says she fought Jeremy off — but there were at least three other people from the industry in the room, she said. None of them reacted. It was the same when she told her story to colleagues years later.
“People were just like, ‘That’s Ron,’ ” said Young, now 45.
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Fear of Jeremy’s stature in the business also led adult entertainer Elle Hell to keep quiet after Jeremy attacked her in Chicago in 2014, she says. Elle alleges that, despite the fact that she broke down crying and repeatedly said “no,” Jeremy forced oral sex on her and tried to rape her.
“You have everyday citizens who are already excusing and validating his sexual assaults because we work in an industry where we are ‘whores,’” she said.
Los Angeles prosecutors charged Jeremy in late June with sexually assaulting four women in West Hollywood. Within days, prosecutors said they had been contacted by 25 women across the country who made allegations “ranging from misdemeanor sexual battery to rape” against the man who for decades was one of the porn industry’s most visible celebrities, according to court records.
Following his arrest, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department has also received 30 allegations of forcible rape and groping against Jeremy involving incidents that took place in L.A. County since 2000, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing case.
The claims are part of the Sheriff’s Department investigation of Jeremy, but none have been presented to prosecutors for charging yet, the official said. It was not clear how many of the 30 claims received by the Sheriff’s Department overlapped with the 25 new allegations detailed by prosecutors in court last month, though only 13 of those 25 claims took place in L.A. County.
Six additional women, including Young and Elle, have contacted the L.A. Times since Jeremy’s arrest, describing interactions with him including unwanted touching as well as violent rape. The allegations span two decades and both coasts.
Jeremy’s attorney, Stuart Goldfarb, said he was unaware of the allegations made by the women quoted in this article, adding he was focused on defending his client against the charges he was facing in court.
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“It’s too early for me to even take it to him and discuss it,” Goldfarb said. “There’s so many other things that we’re working on right now. ... I know as much about them as you said to me.”
Jeremy remains jailed in lieu of $6.6-million bail and has pleaded not guilty. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office declined to comment on this article.
The women had not contacted police or previously told their stories publicly before Jeremy’s arrest, fearing they would face retribution or that they would not be believed. But each account shared one commonality: Jeremy, they said, never hesitated. If he saw something he wanted, he took it.
“He does things without asking. There’s a lot of people who assume because we’re adult actresses that it’s OK to just touch us inappropriately,” said Alana Evans, president of the Adult Performers Actors Guild.
Evans was at the party where Young alleges Jeremy raped her, and said Young told her about the incident in the early 2000s. Evans described the alleged assault in near-identical terms to Young’s account. Pat Cronenberg, a business associate of Young, also said she told him about the alleged attack in 2019.
Rumors of Jeremy’s alleged misconduct have long swirled in the adult entertainment industry, but only exploded into the public eye in recent years.
In 2017, adult entertainer Ginger Banks compiled allegations against Jeremy in a 10-minute YouTube video that has since been viewed more than 200,000 times. Sheriff’s detectives are now planning to interview Banks as they search for additional victims, she said.
Months later, Rolling Stone published allegations from a dozen women who said Jeremy either groped them or, in two cases, violently raped them. The claims led to Jeremy’s expulsion from the adult film industry, as he was banned from both the Exxxotica Expo and the Adult Video News awards. In an article last month, Rolling Stone detailed several more groping allegations from women outside the adult entertainment industry.
“I have never and would never rape anyone. All serious allegations have been investigated by police and dismissed by judges,” Jeremy wrote in response to the 2017 Rolling Stone article.
In spite of the allegations, Jeremy was invited to join dozens of women at a 2018 birthday celebration for brothel owner and reality TV star Dennis Hof at the Bunny Ranch near Carson City, Nev. Hof died later that weekend, and his body was discovered by Jeremy.
Less than 48 hours earlier, Jeremy allegedly assaulted a woman during Hof’s party, according to a sex worker who was formerly employed by Hof. The woman, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals, said she was horrified by Jeremy’s presence due to the recent allegations.
“I was just super sick that Ron was even in the building,” the woman said, noting Jeremy was a frequent visitor. “We all had seen things happening at the ranch, but I was just trying to fly low and do my own thing. But this time ... Dennis made that impossible.”
On the weekend of the birthday party, she said, Hof was introducing Jeremy to several women who worked at the ranch. The woman alleged Hof approached her, took her hand and placed it on Jeremy’s penis without consent.
When the party moved to the Bunny Ranch restaurant, the woman said Jeremy led her away from the partygoers and toward the back of the building. She said she tried to signal to co-workers, mouthing “help me,” but couldn’t get their attention.
Jeremy led the woman to an outside area behind the restaurant, pressed her up against a railing and forced himself inside her, she said.
“He bends me over the railing at the restaurant, lifts up my dress and does his thing,” she said. “I’m in shock. I don’t really know how to process what’s going on because it’s such a public area. What do you do?”
The woman said the attack lasted between 10 and 15 minutes.
“I feel guilty that I didn’t scream or anything,” she said. “I guess I didn’t know how to react.”
The woman said she did not report the alleged attack to police, in part because it took place just weeks before voters would decide on a ballot measure to shutter a number of Nevada’s brothels. She said she told ranch staff about the alleged attack but nothing was done.
The woman also reported the alleged attack to Banks and a close friend, adult actress Draven Star, the next day.
Draven, who sporadically worked at Hof’s brothels between 2017 and 2019, said she was also frustrated that Jeremy was there given the looming assault allegations. She saw the woman and Jeremy were both inside the Bunny Ranch restaurant on the night the alleged attack happened. The next morning, Draven said, her friend looked shellshocked.
“Those words that she told me are burned into my brain. … There’s no way she was making any of that up,” Draven said, adding that she had loaned the woman the dress she was wearing the night of the alleged attack.
Draven also confirmed that the woman reported the incident to a specific staff member. Draven said they never discussed going to the police, assuming they would be laughed out of the building.
“I do porn … she was a cam girl … and it’s Ron Jeremy,” Draven said. “So no. No one is going to take us seriously.”
Banks provided The Times with messages — time-stamped less than 24 hours after the woman claims the attack happened — where the woman describes the assault in graphic terms and expresses fear about Jeremy “doing this to other women.”
A spokesman for the Bunny Ranch did not respond to an email requesting comment.
In court filings made public, Los Angeles prosecutors detailed a number of uncharged allegations against Jeremy. One rape accusation from 1997 was unknown to prosecutors until “the initiation of the present investigation,” records show. Jeremy was also accused of forcing oral sex on women in 2006 and 2016 and forcibly raping a woman in 2010, according to the filing.
Several women who spoke to The Times said Jeremy crossed lines of consent almost as soon as he met them.
Sabrina Alvarado, a 36-year-old New Jersey woman who has appeared in Playboy and is better known as “Marcela Latinbabe” online, said she first met Jeremy at the Exxxotica Expo in Edison, N.J., in 2015. Alvarado said she was a little known “cam girl” when she approached Jeremy for a photo.
Alvarado alleged Jeremy immediately grabbed her breasts and put them in his mouth.
“I’ve been to that convention, maybe five years total, and that’s never happened to me with anyone — talent, fans or anything,” she said.
Alvarado provided pictures to The Times that showed Jeremy clutching and sucking on her breasts. Though she is smiling in the photos, Alvarado said she did not give Jeremy permission to touch her and was unnerved by his behavior.
“I was very naïve of what went down … and because this is a famous guy I … I didn’t know whether that was a normal thing or not,” she said.
Alvarado’s ex-husband, Mauricio Morales, took the pictures and said Jeremy grabbed Alvarado as soon as she asked for a photo.
“She was getting closer, just to take a normal picture, and that’s when he just groped her completely,” said Morales, who was married to Alvarado from 2003 to 2018.
Jeremy’s brash nature around beautiful women was well-known in the industry, according to Evans, the head of the adult performers union. Frequently, Evans said, women have complained that Jeremy has run a hand up their skirt and tried to digitally penetrate them without consent.
“He’s done that to me,” Evans said. “When enough women describe something that you have felt, then you know, OK, it’s absolutely real.”
Evans, who has performed scenes with Jeremy in the past, said she also witnessed him pulling up the skirt of an actress who was asleep while the two were on set together for a porn parody of “The Brady Bunch” in the mid-2000s.
“I look over and I see Ron has grabbed the corner of her dress and is lifting it up to look underneath. … It immediately made me uncomfortable,” said Evans, who woke the woman up immediately.
Colleen Pinto, a former adult film actress and exotic dancer in Florida, said Jeremy grabbed her breasts during an appearance at a strip club in 2005. Pinto said when she tried to pull away, Jeremy smacked her in the breast with a microphone.
“Any of us that were ever dancers or in the porn industry, we all have a Ron story,” said Pinto, 46. “You don’t ever meet Ron without him doing something to you.”
Victoria Martin, a former dancer who worked with Pinto at a different Florida club, said she remembered Pinto describing Jeremy striking her on stage in the mid-2000s.
Elle Hell said she was new to the industry when a chance encounter with another performer landed her next to Jeremy during the Exxxotica Expo near Chicago in 2014.
Elle said she got into a limousine with about 10 other people, including Jeremy, and drove to a bar. Not long after they went inside, Elle said Jeremy suddenly pulled her onto his lap. She claimed she had to use the bathroom to get away but said Jeremy followed her.
After Jeremy tried, and failed, to get access to a private room in the bar, Elle said Jeremy led her back to the limousine that they had arrived in.
Once inside, Elle said, Jeremy forcibly performed oral sex on her. Elle said she demanded that he stop, but Jeremy slid closer to her.
“He takes his [penis] out, and I remember this vividly, I’m crying,” she said.
Elle said Jeremy repeatedly tried to force himself on her, pressing his penis against her hard enough that he left an abrasion on her genitals, before giving up and growing angry. Jeremy led her back inside the club, where he wrote her a note, she said.
“You would cry, I hope ... if I ever leave,” he wrote, according to a picture of the note she posted to Twitter with his autograph.
Elle asked The Times not to use her legal name because she had previously been the victim of stalking and harassment.
Blake Clay, an amateur photographer who was in the limousine, said Elle and Jeremy were at the same after-party and that both had disappeared from the group at the bar. Clay, who took pictures of the two together, said Elle described the sexual assault to him later that night.
Another adult performer who was at the party confirmed Elle and Jeremy were there. The performer, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, said Elle later described an assault by Jeremy.
Young, the British actress who accused Jeremy of raping her in 2000, says she believes he has used his status as porn’s elder statesman to gain access to vulnerable young women for years.
Young left the industry and began counseling adult entertainers in England who had suffered abuse, but she maintains contact with friends in the American adult film business.
Some remained supportive of Jeremy over the years. But Young hopes that, now, people can finally see past his status as an icon.
“Many people were friends with him, saying, oh, Ron’s all right,” she said. “Well, no, he’s not all right. He’s not OK.”