latimes--2020-03-06--Mother. Officer. Boxer. LAPD's 'Sugar Dre' brings grit to the ring and the streets

The boxer stands at the bottom of a staircase leading to the ring .
It ’ s shortly before 9 p.m. and “ Welcome to the Jungle ” by Guns N ’ Roses is blasting inside the Novo theater in downtown Los Angeles .
Los Angeles Police Officer Deirdre Fonseca , also known as “ Sugar Dre , ” is the co-headliner in the last match of the night .
Her 5-foot , 2-inch frame bounces from one foot to the other as she beats her bright blue gloves together .
Punches fly over three two-minute rounds .
Moreno keeps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowd .
But Fonseca is focused .
It ’ s a quality she exhibits both in and outside the ring .
At 32 , after a stint working gangs , she was recently promoted to the department ’ s expanded Community Safety Partnership program in the San Fernando Gardens public housing project .
Fonseca will use her policing skills to help build trust in a community with a historically fractured relationship with the Los Angeles Police Department .
A single mother raising two young daughters , Fonseca made history as the first woman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LAPD boxing team .
Her social media fans — she has more than 17,500 Instagram followers — message her about working for the LAPD , boxing and how to balance family and career .
In a department that is still more than 80 % male , Fonseca has become a symbol of what women in law enforcement can aspire to .
“ She ’ s a leader by just being herself and not being afraid of being among men and doing things that traditionally only men do , ” said Cmdr .
Ruby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles Women Police Officers and Associates organization , which recently honored Fonseca with a Trailblazer award .
Until January , Fonseca worked in the Foothill Division ’ s gang unit , the only woman on a 23-member team .
That job was high-risk , demanding and tough on family life .
Schedules were unpredictable ; shifts could extend past 12 hours .
In addition to field duties , gang cops also have to appear in court to testify as experts .
On a recent morning , Fonseca bounced between corners inside the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fernando , jabbing at a woman in a yellow T-shirt .
She ’ d slept only two hours after working until 6 a.m. , going home , getting her daughters , ages 7 and 8 , ready for school , taking a quick nap , then coming to the gym .
Beads of sweat dripped down her temple .
She knows she keeps a busy routine , but she boxes to relieve the stress of working the streets and being a single mom .
“ I work and I come home and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again , ” she said .
Jessica Ortiz , a detention officer assigned to the LAPD ’ s jail division , said that she draws motivation from Fonseca , especially on the days when she doesn ’ t feel like going to the gym .
“ She ’ s like the Energizer bunny , ” Ortiz , who is also on the boxing team , said .
“ She does not stop.
” Born and raised in Echo Park before the streets were lined with trendy boutiques and restaurants , Fonseca grew up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez .
Her grandfather , father and half-brother all boxed as amateurs , and her father picked up a handful of professional matches .
Fonseca was used to the attention paid to her half-brother , who ’ d spend hours in the gym training .
“ Nobody really cared about girls fighting , ” she said .
“ If you were a girl at a boxing gym you were like , background .
No one ’ s really focusing on you.
” Back-to-back pregnancies left Fonseca with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about training for an amateur match .
Her first fight , in Central California , was in 2014 .
She lost , but “ it felt like a win , regardless.
” She dropped about 60 pounds for the fight .
At the same time , Fonseca was working as a civilian dispatcher for the department .
She was exhilarated by the female officers she heard on the radio calls .
She wanted in on the action .
Once her youngest daughter conquered potty training , Fonseca signed up for the academy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ her two girls ?
What if something happened to her ?
She felt like she could be a mom and a cop .
While she was in the academy she had a competitive advantage : She already knew the police radio codes from working dispatch .
Her first assignment was patrol in the Northeast Division , the streets she grew up on .
She rarely had to use GPS when she went out on a call .
But she also knew what it was like to grow up where gangs terrorize the streets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen how they intimidate the community , ” Fonseca said .
At times , she ’ d see gangs demand protection money from the food vendors in her Echo Park neighborhood .
“ Stuff like that would really bother me.
” When Fonseca was 19 , a group of friends went to a house party in Van Nuys .
One of her group , Daniel Santos , who played basketball and soccer , was fatally shot as he was leaving .
The crime became Fonseca ’ s evidence that bad things happen to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the wrong place at the wrong time , ” Fonseca said .
Those experiences shaped her approach to policing .
As a gang officer , she was in direct contact with accused gang members and those who are too afraid to report crime to police .
In the field , Fonseca found a way to establish a rapport with her colleagues and civilians , as well as the hardened men and women suspected of committing crimes .
On a recent evening when she was still on gang patrol , another officer spotted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspect believed to be responsible for dozens of burglaries in Sun Valley .
After leading multiple patrol cars on a short pursuit , the suspect stopped at a dead-end street .
Officers handcuffed the man and began searching his vehicle .
Fonseca arrived and thumbed through his wallet , which was on the hood of another police cruiser .
With his hands cuffed behind his back , he looked down at the ground .
She took inventory of his tattoos , pulling up the hem of his T-shirt .
Three of the man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Fonseca said she sympathized , as her daughters were born a year apart .
He spoke to her about one of his daughters , who was attending college on the East Coast .
As the conversation ended , he told Fonseca she was the “ nicest cop ” he ’ d been around .
The exchange highlighted her skills as an empathetic ear and in getting others to open up , a valuable asset for learning the inner workings of gangs and their activities , said her former supervisor , Sgt .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ their mouth and say anything , ” he said .
Fonseca said her friendly demeanor comes from her grandmother , who taught her to treat everyone with respect , to greet people on the streets , to “ Siempre saludad la gente.
” “ In life , you should always just be humble , ” she said .
“ You can think you ’ re having a good round , but any second the tables can flip .
It ’ s about pushing forward and pushing through it.
” At the Novo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Fonseca ’ s gloves finally corner Moreno into the side guards .
The crowd roars .
At the end of the fight the women hug and face the audience as judges debate the match .
“ Los Angeles , what a way to end the night .
Toe to toe the entire way , ” the announcer says .
The decision is unanimous .
Dre Fonseca takes the win .
As the crowd begins to disperse , Fonseca steps outside the ring .
Men and women of all ages call her name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who ask until she ’ s one of the last left .
The next night , Fonseca was back on patrol .

The boxer stands at the bottom of a staircase leading to the ring.
It’s shortly before 9 p.m. and “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses is blasting inside the Novo theater in downtown Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Police Officer Deirdre Fonseca, also known as “Sugar Dre,” is the co-headliner in the last match of the night. Her 5-foot, 2-inch frame bounces from one foot to the other as she beats her bright blue gloves together.
Fonseca squares up against Destiny Moreno, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy.
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Punches fly over three two-minute rounds. Moreno keeps attacking amid cheers and boos from the crowd. But Fonseca is focused.
It’s a quality she exhibits both in and outside the ring. At 32, after a stint working gangs, she was recently promoted to the department’s expanded Community Safety Partnership program in the San Fernando Gardens public housing project. Fonseca will use her policing skills to help build trust in a community with a historically fractured relationship with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles Police Officer Deirdre Fonseca trains at the City of Angels Boxing gym. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
A single mother raising two young daughters, Fonseca made history as the first woman to headline a match for the 150-year-old LAPD boxing team. Her social media fans — she has more than 17,500 Instagram followers — message her about working for the LAPD, boxing and how to balance family and career.
In a department that is still more than 80% male, Fonseca has become a symbol of what women in law enforcement can aspire to.
“She’s a leader by just being herself and not being afraid of being among men and doing things that traditionally only men do,” said Cmdr. Ruby Flores, a board member of the Los Angeles Women Police Officers and Associates organization, which recently honored Fonseca with a Trailblazer award.
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Until January, Fonseca worked in the Foothill Division’s gang unit, the only woman on a 23-member team. That job was high-risk, demanding and tough on family life. Schedules were unpredictable; shifts could extend past 12 hours. In addition to field duties, gang cops also have to appear in court to testify as experts.
On a recent morning, Fonseca bounced between corners inside the ring at a boxing gym in San Fernando, jabbing at a woman in a yellow T-shirt.
She’d slept only two hours after working until 6 a.m., going home, getting her daughters, ages 7 and 8, ready for school, taking a quick nap, then coming to the gym.
Beads of sweat dripped down her temple.
Deirdre Fonseca with daughter Violet, 8. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
She knows she keeps a busy routine, but she boxes to relieve the stress of working the streets and being a single mom.
“I work and I come home and I sleep and I do it all over again,” she said.
Jessica Ortiz, a detention officer assigned to the LAPD’s jail division, said that she draws motivation from Fonseca, especially on the days when she doesn’t feel like going to the gym.
“She’s like the Energizer bunny,” Ortiz, who is also on the boxing team, said. “She does not stop.”
Born and raised in Echo Park before the streets were lined with trendy boutiques and restaurants, Fonseca grew up watching boxers like Oscar De La Hoya, Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez. Her grandfather, father and half-brother all boxed as amateurs, and her father picked up a handful of professional matches.
Fonseca was used to the attention paid to her half-brother, who’d spend hours in the gym training.
“Nobody really cared about girls fighting,” she said. “If you were a girl at a boxing gym you were like, background. No one’s really focusing on you.”
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1 / 13 Deirdre Fonseca trains with fellow LAPD Officer John Negrete at City of Angels Boxing gym last summer. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 13 Deirdre Fonseca, left, trains as her two daughters eat ice cream. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 13 Deirdre Fonseca is joined by her daughters, ages 7 and 8, while training. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 13 Once a civilian dispatcher, Deirdre Fonseca became an LAPD officer, later working a gang-enforcement detail at the Foothill Division. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 13 Deirdre Fonseca, center, talks with fellow LAPD officers during a training session at the City of Angels Boxing gym in Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 13 Making cookies with daughters Violet and Demi at their home in Sunland. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 13 Deirdre Fonseca with daughters Violet and Demi. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 13 Deirdre Fonseca and Claire Hankinson, a British police officer, square off after weighing in for their match in Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 13 Deirdre Fonseca stretches before her match against Claire Hankinson in Montebello in July. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 13 Deirdre Fonseca gets ready for a match against L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Destiny Moreno. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 13 Deirdre Fonseca, right, and Destiny Moreno trade punches at their Nov. 17 match. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 13 Deirdre Fonseca, left, is declared the winner by unanimous decision over Destiny Moreno. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 13 Deirdre Fonseca greets fans after her victory. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Back-to-back pregnancies left Fonseca with extra weight, and she became serious about training for an amateur match. Her first fight, in Central California, was in 2014.
She lost, but “it felt like a win, regardless.” She dropped about 60 pounds for the fight.
At the same time, Fonseca was working as a civilian dispatcher for the department. She was exhilarated by the female officers she heard on the radio calls. She wanted in on the action.
Once her youngest daughter conquered potty training, Fonseca signed up for the academy. Some relatives were hesitant. What about her two girls? What if something happened to her?
She felt like she could be a mom and a cop. While she was in the academy she had a competitive advantage: She already knew the police radio codes from working dispatch.
Her first assignment was patrol in the Northeast Division, the streets she grew up on. She rarely had to use GPS when she went out on a call. But she also knew what it was like to grow up where gangs terrorize the streets.
Column One A showcase for compelling storytelling from the Los Angeles Times More stories
“Firsthand, I’ve seen how they intimidate the community,” Fonseca said. At times, she’d see gangs demand protection money from the food vendors in her Echo Park neighborhood. “Stuff like that would really bother me.”
When Fonseca was 19, a group of friends went to a house party in Van Nuys. One of her group, Daniel Santos, who played basketball and soccer, was fatally shot as he was leaving.
The crime became Fonseca’s evidence that bad things happen to good people.
“He totally was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Fonseca said.
Los Angeles Police Officer Deirdre Fonseca on patrol in Pacoima. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Those experiences shaped her approach to policing. As a gang officer, she was in direct contact with accused gang members and those who are too afraid to report crime to police.
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In the field, Fonseca found a way to establish a rapport with her colleagues and civilians, as well as the hardened men and women suspected of committing crimes.
On a recent evening when she was still on gang patrol, another officer spotted a car that matched that of a suspect believed to be responsible for dozens of burglaries in Sun Valley.
Deirdre Fonseca questions a suspect in Pacoima. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
After leading multiple patrol cars on a short pursuit, the suspect stopped at a dead-end street. Officers handcuffed the man and began searching his vehicle.
Fonseca arrived and thumbed through his wallet, which was on the hood of another police cruiser. With his hands cuffed behind his back, he looked down at the ground.
She took inventory of his tattoos, pulling up the hem of his T-shirt.
“You been arrested before?”
“Ummm-hmmm.”
Fonseca kept chatting.
“You got kids?” she asked.
“Yup.”
“How many?”
The man’s face brightened.
“Five girls.”
Three of the man’s girls were born back-to-back, and Fonseca said she sympathized, as her daughters were born a year apart. He spoke to her about one of his daughters, who was attending college on the East Coast.
As the conversation ended, he told Fonseca she was the “nicest cop” he’d been around.
Fonseca gets help with her head gear before a match. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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The exchange highlighted her skills as an empathetic ear and in getting others to open up, a valuable asset for learning the inner workings of gangs and their activities, said her former supervisor, Sgt. Brandon Kiefer.
“They will run their mouth and say anything,” he said.
Fonseca said her friendly demeanor comes from her grandmother, who taught her to treat everyone with respect, to greet people on the streets, to “Siempre saludar a la gente.”
“In life, you should always just be humble,” she said. “You can think you’re having a good round, but any second the tables can flip. It’s about pushing forward and pushing through it.”
At the Novo, 12 matches had preceded Fonseca versus Moreno.
Deirdre Fonseca, left, lands a punch against Destiny Moreno. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Fonseca’s gloves finally corner Moreno into the side guards. The crowd roars.
At the end of the fight the women hug and face the audience as judges debate the match.
“Los Angeles, what a way to end the night. Toe to toe the entire way,” the announcer says.
Advertisement
The decision is unanimous. Dre Fonseca takes the win.
As the crowd begins to disperse, Fonseca steps outside the ring. Men and women of all ages call her name. She poses for pictures with everyone who ask until she’s one of the last left.
The next night, Fonseca was back on patrol.


latimes--2020-03-05--Robert Durst trial: Victim's lie about speaking to police 'sealed her fate,' prosecutors say

Susan Berman told her close friend Robert Durst that police had contacted her , hoping to speak with her about the mysterious disappearance of Durst ’ s wife .
It was a lie , and Durst wouldn ’ t learn that for 15 years .
But he said he reluctantly agreed Berman could talk to detectives : “ What am I going to say , no ?
, ” he said in an interview prepared for the HBO documentary “ The Jinx : The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.
” Los Angeles County prosecutors alleged Thursday that Durst ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climaxed in 2000 with Berman ’ s killing .
“ It was that statement by Susan Berman to Bob Durst that sealed her fate , ” Deputy Dist .
Atty .
John Lewin said during the second day of his opening statements in the murder trial for Durst , who has pleaded not guilty .
Berman was found dead in her Benedict Canyon home on Christmas Eve and the fateful events of that year occupied much of Lewin ’ s address to the 12 jurors and 11 alternates in the compact courtroom near @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutors , Durst was panicking because New York authorities had reopened the investigation into the 1982 disappearance of Kathleen Durst .
Berman acted as Durst ’ s spokeswoman and prosecutors said she provided a “ false alibi ” for Durst , posing as the missing wife in a phone call to her medical school .
The phone call bolstered the impression that Kathleen Durst was alive .
In a recording aired for the jurors , Durst summed up his reaction to the renewed inquiry : “ I ’ ve been guilty for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are going to find me guilty.
” The eccentric heir to a New York real estate fortune began stockpiling cash , prosecutors said , and procured a shabby apartment in Galveston , Texas , where he planned to live disguised as a mute woman .
He signed over power of attorney to his erstwhile girlfriend , Debrah Lee Charatan .
He then asked Charatan to marry him , and in early December of 2000 , the pair tied the knot .
A rabbi chosen from the phone book officiated .
Lewin said Durst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nuptials .
“ I had to have Debrah to write my checks .
I was setting myself up to be a fugitive , ” Durst said in a recorded jail phone call .
By Dec. 19 , 2000 , he was boarding a flight to Eureka , in Northern California .
Durst has claimed the trip ’ s purpose was to settle his affairs there ; he owned a home in nearby Trinidad .
Prosecutors said he picked up his Ford Explorer and a series of phone calls to his personal voice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dec. 21 , about 90 miles south of his home in Trinidad .
The mileage on the Explorer is consistent with the 1,150-mile round-trip drive from Garberville to Berman ’ s home and back to San Francisco on the night of Dec. 23 , Lewin said .
Berman was shot dead in her home sometime between the night of Dec. 22 and the morning of Dec. 23 , according to coroner ’ s records .
In San Francisco , Durst boarded a red-eye for New York City — a rare mode of transport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutors in 2015 , Durst struggled to explain why his cross-country trip was so brief .
Lewin told jurors that New York detectives had zeroed in on Berman in their re-investigation into Kathleen Durst ’ s disappearance , but because of her intimate proximity to Durst , they had refrained from any contact .
It ’ s unclear why Berman lied to Durst .
She was in dire straits financially , and her career was struggling .
Prosecutors said she had trouble paying rent before Durst offered her a lifeline : he sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before she was killed .
The prosecution ’ s opening statements are set to conclude Monday .

Real estate heir Robert Durst, 76, sits Thursday during the second day of his murder trial in Los Angeles.
Susan Berman told her close friend Robert Durst that police had contacted her, hoping to speak with her about the mysterious disappearance of Durst’s wife.
It was a lie, and Durst wouldn’t learn that for 15 years. But he said he reluctantly agreed Berman could talk to detectives: “What am I going to say, no?,” he said in an interview prepared for the HBO documentary “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.”
Los Angeles County prosecutors alleged Thursday that Durst’s permission concealed a violent plan that climaxed in 2000 with Berman’s killing.
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“It was that statement by Susan Berman to Bob Durst that sealed her fate,” Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lewin said during the second day of his opening statements in the murder trial for Durst, who has pleaded not guilty.
Berman was found dead in her Benedict Canyon home on Christmas Eve and the fateful events of that year occupied much of Lewin’s address to the 12 jurors and 11 alternates in the compact courtroom near Los Angeles International Airport.
According to prosecutors, Durst was panicking because New York authorities had reopened the investigation into the 1982 disappearance of Kathleen Durst. Berman acted as Durst’s spokeswoman and prosecutors said she provided a “false alibi” for Durst, posing as the missing wife in a phone call to her medical school. The phone call bolstered the impression that Kathleen Durst was alive.
In a recording aired for the jurors, Durst summed up his reaction to the renewed inquiry: “I’ve been guilty for years in the newspapers … now they really are going to find me guilty.”
The eccentric heir to a New York real estate fortune began stockpiling cash, prosecutors said, and procured a shabby apartment in Galveston, Texas, where he planned to live disguised as a mute woman. He signed over power of attorney to his erstwhile girlfriend, Debrah Lee Charatan. He then asked Charatan to marry him, and in early December of 2000, the pair tied the knot.
A rabbi chosen from the phone book officiated. Lewin said Durst was open about the transactional purpose of the nuptials.
“I had to have Debrah to write my checks. I was setting myself up to be a fugitive,” Durst said in a recorded jail phone call.
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By Dec. 19, 2000, he was boarding a flight to Eureka, in Northern California. Durst has claimed the trip’s purpose was to settle his affairs there; he owned a home in nearby Trinidad.
Prosecutors said he picked up his Ford Explorer and a series of phone calls to his personal voice mailbox place him in Garberville, on Dec. 21, about 90 miles south of his home in Trinidad.
The mileage on the Explorer is consistent with the 1,150-mile round-trip drive from Garberville to Berman’s home and back to San Francisco on the night of Dec. 23, Lewin said. Berman was shot dead in her home sometime between the night of Dec. 22 and the morning of Dec. 23, according to coroner’s records.
In San Francisco, Durst boarded a red-eye for New York City — a rare mode of transport for Durst. In an interview with prosecutors in 2015, Durst struggled to explain why his cross-country trip was so brief.
“I can’t explain it,” he told Lewin.
Lewin told jurors that New York detectives had zeroed in on Berman in their re-investigation into Kathleen Durst’s disappearance, but because of her intimate proximity to Durst, they had refrained from any contact.
It’s unclear why Berman lied to Durst. She was in dire straits financially, and her career was struggling. Prosecutors said she had trouble paying rent before Durst offered her a lifeline: he sent her $50,000 in the two months before she was killed.
The prosecution’s opening statements are set to conclude Monday.


latimes--2020-03-05--Neighbors of first Californian to die from coronavirus anxiously await word. 'That's close to home'

Police began blocking access to the home of California ’ s first fatality attributed to the coronavirus in Rocklin on Thursday as worried neighbors stood in their yards asking for information .
The 75-year-old man who died Wednesday had tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a cruise to Mexico last month .
He died a day after tests confirmed he had the coronavirus .
“ That ’ s close to home , ” said one neighbor , who asked not to be identified as he stood on his lawn .
“ I ’ m in my 70s , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a helicopter circled the residential neighborhood , which neighbors said is frequently filled with children playing in the street .
Police at the scene declined to say what prompted them to block access on Wednesday to the street where public records show the man lived .
Placer County health officials said the man who died had underlying health conditions .
He was the county ’ s second confirmed case of COVID-19 .
Officials said close contacts of the man were being quarantined and monitored for the illness .
Placer County health officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel on a Princess Cruises ship that departed Feb. 10 from San Francisco and sailed to Mexico before returning Feb. 21 .
Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said the man showed symptoms of COVID-19 while on the cruise and while traveling through the Port of San Francisco .
He called 911 and was taken by ambulance to a Kaiser Permanente in Roseville on Feb. 27 .
He was tested for COVID-19 on Sunday , with the results returned positive on Tuesday .
Ten Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers and five emergency responders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was put in isolation at the hospital are now in quarantine .
He was a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise .
After the man ’ s death , the cruise line said it was notified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the agency was investigating a small cluster of coronavirus cases in Northern California related to the cruise .
The company said that 62 guests who had made the same Mexico voyage the man who died was on remained aboard the Grand Princess for a subsequent trip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short , and guests and crew members who might have come in close contact with the passenger who died were asked to remain in their cabins until they could be screened .
Those people and any others experiencing flu-like symptoms or other respiratory distress were tested on Thursday , according to the cruise line .
The U.S. Coast Guard delivered kits via helicopter Thursday morning so the ship ’ s medical team could administer the tests .
The samples then were flown to a lab in Richmond , Calif. , for processing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is currently off the coast of San Francisco , will not be allowed to dock until those test results are back .

A 75-year-old man who died Wednesday had tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a cruise to Mexico last month.
Police began blocking access to the home of California’s first fatality attributed to the coronavirus in Rocklin on Thursday as worried neighbors stood in their yards asking for information.
The 75-year-old man who died Wednesday had tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a cruise to Mexico last month. He died a day after tests confirmed he had the coronavirus.
“That’s close to home,” said one neighbor, who asked not to be identified as he stood on his lawn. “I’m in my 70s, so this is a big deal.”
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Overhead, a helicopter circled the residential neighborhood, which neighbors said is frequently filled with children playing in the street. Police at the scene declined to say what prompted them to block access on Wednesday to the street where public records show the man lived.
Placer County health officials said the man who died had underlying health conditions. He was the county’s second confirmed case of COVID-19. Officials said close contacts of the man were being quarantined and monitored for the illness.
Placer County health officials said the man was likely exposed during travel on a Princess Cruises ship that departed Feb. 10 from San Francisco and sailed to Mexico before returning Feb. 21.
Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said the man showed symptoms of COVID-19 while on the cruise and while traveling through the Port of San Francisco.
He called 911 and was taken by ambulance to a Kaiser Permanente in Roseville on Feb. 27. He was tested for COVID-19 on Sunday, with the results returned positive on Tuesday.
Ten Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers and five emergency responders who were exposed to the patient before he was put in isolation at the hospital are now in quarantine.
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He was a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise. After the man’s death, the cruise line said it was notified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the agency was investigating a small cluster of coronavirus cases in Northern California related to the cruise.
Route of the Grand Princess (Thomas Suh Lauder / Los Angeles Times)
The company said that 62 guests who had made the same Mexico voyage the man who died was on remained aboard the Grand Princess for a subsequent trip to Hawaii. That trip was cut short, and guests and crew members who might have come in close contact with the passenger who died were asked to remain in their cabins until they could be screened.
Those people and any others experiencing flu-like symptoms or other respiratory distress were tested on Thursday, according to the cruise line. The U.S. Coast Guard delivered kits via helicopter Thursday morning so the ship’s medical team could administer the tests. The samples then were flown to a lab in Richmond, Calif., for processing, Princess Cruises said. The ship, which is currently off the coast of San Francisco, will not be allowed to dock until those test results are back.


latimes--2020-03-05--California demands insurers cover cost of coronavirus testing and screenings

Gov .
Gavin Newsom and state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday announced that they were ordering all public and commercial insurance plans to cover the entire cost of testing for the coronavirus and medically necessary screening .
The orders will ensure that Californians will not have any out-of-pocket expenses for co-pays and deductibles , even if they receive testing and screening at hospital emergency rooms and urgent care facilities , they said .
“ This action means that Californians who fit the testing requirements can receive the test at no cost .
We ’ re all in this together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those health providers who have already stepped up and heeded our call , ” Newsom said in a statement released Thursday afternoon .
When Newsom announced a state of emergency on Wednesday , the governor said the coronavirus lab test is now classified as an essential benefit and public and private healthcare plans , including Medi-Cal , would cover the costs for testing .
There are not expected state costs associated with the new directive , according to the governor ’ s office .
State officials recommended that Californians without insurance contact their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about their options for testing and screening for the coronavirus .
Separately on Thursday , Cigna , one of the nation ’ s largest health insurers , announced it will waive co-pays and other cost-sharing for coronavirus tests , allowing patients to access the tests without fear of being charged .
“ We will do everything we can to help contain the virus , remove barriers to testing and treatment , especially for seniors and people who are chronically ill , ” said Cigna chief executive David M. Cordani .
Trump administration officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test to be an “ essential health benefit , ” a designation created by the 2010 Affordable Care Act that requires all health plans to cover a set of basic benefits , such as prescription drugs and mental health services .
Such a designation would not make the tests free to patients , however , as essential health benefits are still subject to co-pays and cost-sharing .
At the same time , the Trump administration has been working for three years to repeal the healthcare law , often called Obamacare .

Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement: “This action means that Californians who fit the testing requirements can receive the test at no cost.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday announced that they were ordering all public and commercial insurance plans to cover the entire cost of testing for the coronavirus and medically necessary screening.
The orders will ensure that Californians will not have any out-of-pocket expenses for co-pays and deductibles, even if they receive testing and screening at hospital emergency rooms and urgent care facilities, they said.
“This action means that Californians who fit the testing requirements can receive the test at no cost. We’re all in this together, and I’m grateful to those health providers who have already stepped up and heeded our call,” Newsom said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.
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When Newsom announced a state of emergency on Wednesday, the governor said the coronavirus lab test is now classified as an essential benefit and public and private healthcare plans, including Medi-Cal, would cover the costs for testing.
There are not expected state costs associated with the new directive, according to the governor’s office.
State officials recommended that Californians without insurance contact their county public health departments to receive information about their options for testing and screening for the coronavirus.
Separately on Thursday, Cigna, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, announced it will waive co-pays and other cost-sharing for coronavirus tests, allowing patients to access the tests without fear of being charged.
“We will do everything we can to help contain the virus, remove barriers to testing and treatment, especially for seniors and people who are chronically ill,” said Cigna chief executive David M. Cordani.
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Trump administration officials have also said that they want the test to be an “essential health benefit,” a designation created by the 2010 Affordable Care Act that requires all health plans to cover a set of basic benefits, such as prescription drugs and mental health services.
Such a designation would not make the tests free to patients, however, as essential health benefits are still subject to co-pays and cost-sharing. At the same time, the Trump administration has been working for three years to repeal the healthcare law, often called Obamacare.


latimes--2020-03-05--The portion of California considered to be in moderate drought continues to expand

Drought conditions in California continued to expand , according to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor data released Thursday .
After what experts are calling California ’ s driest February on record , slightly more than 34 % of the state was deemed to be in moderate drought .
That ’ s an increase of about 11 % over figures released a week ago .
Moderate drought expanded south from San Francisco to include San Mateo and Alameda counties .
Drought areas in Butte , Glenn and Tehama counties spread west to encompass Mendocino County , most of Trinity County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as southwestern Shasta County .
To the north near the Oregon border , moderate drought areas in Siskiyou County expanded westward into Del Norte County .
Farther south , drought areas expanded to include more of Kern County , all of Kings County and a little more of western Fresno County .
Almost 70 % of the state is either in moderate drought or abnormally dry .
Monterey County on the Central Coast is a drought-free island in this area , and southeastern Inyo County and all of San Bernardino , Orange , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are currently excluded from the abnormally dry or moderate drought territory .
As of Thursday , the Northern Sierra 8-Station Index is at 49 % of average for the date , according to the California Department of Water Resources .
The index is the average of eight precipitation measuring sites that provide a representative sample of the Northern Sierra ’ s major watersheds .
These watersheds include the Sacramento , Feather , Yuba and American rivers , which flow into some of California ’ s biggest reservoirs , providing a large portion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A trough from the Pacific is expected to bring moderate snow to the Sierra Nevada on Saturday , according to the National Weather Service .
Snow levels will come down to 4,500 feet with 4 to 8 inches expected above that elevation .
The heaviest snow will fall during the day on Saturday , possibly making chain controls necessary .
Southern California is expecting cooler temperatures with a chance of light showers this weekend .
More significant rain is possible Monday through Wednesday .

Drought conditions in California continued to expand, according to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor data released Thursday.
After what experts are calling California’s driest February on record, slightly more than 34% of the state was deemed to be in moderate drought. That’s an increase of about 11% over figures released a week ago.
Moderate drought expanded south from San Francisco to include San Mateo and Alameda counties. Drought areas in Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties spread west to encompass Mendocino County, most of Trinity County and southeastern Humboldt County, as well as southwestern Shasta County. To the north near the Oregon border, moderate drought areas in Siskiyou County expanded westward into Del Norte County.
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Farther south, drought areas expanded to include more of Kern County, all of Kings County and a little more of western Fresno County.
Almost 70% of the state is either in moderate drought or abnormally dry. Monterey County on the Central Coast is a drought-free island in this area, and southeastern Inyo County and all of San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, San Diego and Imperial counties are currently excluded from the abnormally dry or moderate drought territory.
(Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times)
As of Thursday, the Northern Sierra 8-Station Index is at 49% of average for the date, according to the California Department of Water Resources. The index is the average of eight precipitation measuring sites that provide a representative sample of the Northern Sierra’s major watersheds. These watersheds include the Sacramento, Feather, Yuba and American rivers, which flow into some of California’s biggest reservoirs, providing a large portion of the state’s water supply.
A trough from the Pacific is expected to bring moderate snow to the Sierra Nevada on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Snow levels will come down to 4,500 feet with 4 to 8 inches expected above that elevation. The heaviest snow will fall during the day on Saturday, possibly making chain controls necessary.
Southern California is expecting cooler temperatures with a chance of light showers this weekend. More significant rain is possible Monday through Wednesday.


latimes--2020-03-05--Sunnyvale man who took cruise might be second California death from coronavirus

Authorities in Santa Clara County on Thursday announced that a Sunnyvale man might be California ’ s second death connected to the coronavirus .
The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety said a 72-year-old man who had been on a cruise where others contracted the coronavirus was found unresponsive Thursday at his home and officers performed CPR .
He later died .
“ It was later learned the patient had recently been on a cruise with two passengers were suspected of having COVID-19 , ” the agency said in a statement .
“ We don ’ t yet know if the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ngo , chief of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety .
The officers , who did not perform mouth to mouth resuscitation , were quarantined at home , he said .
Santa Clara County has seen at least 20 coronavirus cases , and health officials Thursday issued more stringent recommendations meant to slow the spread of the virus .
Guidelines urge residents to postpone large gatherings and cancel large events .
Employers should also take steps to make it more feasible for employees to work in ways that minimize large groups and contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in several areas of California , while Nevada reported its first case , in Las Vegas .
The Las Vegas case was a man in his 50s who had recently traveled to Washington state ; he is hospitalized in isolation , officials said .
San Francisco reported its first cases .
The two patients are not related and have no travel history to areas where the coronavirus has spread , officials said .
“ We do not know at this point how they were exposed to the virus , which suggests it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Grant Colfax , San Francisco ’ s director of health , said in a statement .
Santa Clara and Solano counties also have reported so-called community spread cases .
Both San Francisco patients were tested by the city ’ s Department of Public Health lab Wednesday , officials said .
They are being treated under isolation at separate San Francisco hospitals .
One patient is a man in his 90s who has underlying health conditions and is in serious condition , officials said .
The other patient is a woman in her 40s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Grand Princess cruise ship was being kept offshore amid concerns that more people onboard might be sick after it was announced that a 75-year-old male passenger on an earlier voyage had fallen ill and died this week of the virus .
Sonoma County health officials confirmed Thursday that a second passenger on the cruise tested positive after announcing another positive result earlier in the week .
Both patients were in isolation rooms at a hospital .
Health officials said they had a list of Sonoma County residents who were on the cruise , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the ship , and were continuing to contact passengers to make them aware of the possibility they may have contracted the virus .
In California , COVID-19 has been reported in 12 counties and sickened at least 60 people .
Additional cases were announced elsewhere in the state Thursday , including four patients in Los Angeles County who had recently returned from a group trip to northern Italy .
Health officials had announced Wednesday that three travelers in that same group tested positive for the virus .
Santa Clara County announced Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grown to 20 from 14 .
Of the county ’ s 20 cases , four are related to travel , nine had contacts with other confirmed COVID-19 cases and seven were believed to have caught it in the community .
Of the six new cases — three men and three women — four are at home and two are hospitalized , officials said .
“ Our cases to date indicate to us that the risk of exposure to the virus in our community is increasing , ” Dr. Sara Cody , health officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Santa Clara County Public Health Department , said Thursday .
County health officials are calling on employers to suspend nonessential employee travel , cancel large in-person meetings and conferences , and consider using telecommuting options and staggering start and end times to reduce large numbers of people gathering .
Health officials aren ’ t recommending that schools be closed but said they ’ ll consider such closures on a case-by-case basis if a school staffer or student is confirmed to have COVID-19 .
The San Diego area reported its third case when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retail store in Chula Vista tested positive for the virus , the company said Thursday in a statement .
Six stores were closed and deep-cleaned “ out of an abundance of caution , ” the company said .
The employee , who had recently traveled to a region considered at high risk for the coronavirus , went to work Monday but went home sick later that day and notified the company , spokesman Fletcher Cook said .
AT & T received notice Tuesday that the employee had tested positive for the virus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to spread , the U.S. Senate voted 96 to 1 on Thursday to approve $ 8.3 billion in emergency aid to help fight the outbreak .
The measure next goes to President Trump , who is expected to sign it .
The funding package will be spent on helping develop a vaccine , with millions going directly to states and cities grappling with the disease .
The hardest hit state so far is Washington , where the number of confirmed cases jumped to 70 and 11 people have died .
In total , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County , 18 in Snohomish County and one in Grant County .
Visiting Washington state Thursday afternoon , Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged that the federal government still has not been able to get enough coronavirus tests to hospitals , clinics and health departments around the country .
“ We still have a ways to go , ” Pence said .
But he again promised millions would be on the way soon , predicting that 4 million tests would be distributed by the end of next week .
Pence and other Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be distributed by the end of this week , but there has been no verification that this has occurred .
The Grand Princess cruise passenger is the first person to die in California from the illness .
After the man ’ s death , the cruise line said it was notified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the agency was investigating a small cluster of coronavirus cases in Northern California related to the cruise .
The company said that 62 guests who had made the same Mexico voyage the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Grand Princess for a subsequent trip to Hawaii .
That trip was cut short , and guests and crew members who might have come in close contact with the passenger who died were asked to remain in their cabins until they could be screened .
Those people and any others experiencing flu-like symptoms or other respiratory distress were tested on Thursday , according to the cruise line .
The U.S. Coast Guard delivered kits via helicopter Thursday morning so the ship ’ s medical team could administer the tests .
The samples @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Richmond , Calif. , for processing , Princess Cruises said .
The ship , which is currently off the coast of San Francisco , will not be allowed to dock until those test results are back , Gov .
Gavin Newsom said at a news conference Wednesday .
Princess Cruises spokeswoman Negin Kamali said she had no information on when results are expected or when the ship might return to port .
A passenger said that she had been told results may come tomorrow .
Passengers on the vessel — both current and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — told the Los Angeles Times that the response to the outbreak by the company and health officials had been filled with missteps .
In particular , passengers said that Princess Cruises was lax on health screening protocols prior to boarding and withheld information about the risks they faced , even as the ship ’ s condition became international news .
Thursday afternoon , two passengers aboard the Grand Princess said all passengers had been confined to their quarters , with public activities canceled .
Meals are being delivered by room service beginning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kamali confirmed that the CDC had “ recommended that guests should remain in their staterooms for the remainder of the cruise.
” Placer County was asking any other individuals who were on the cruise to Mexico to self-quarantine .
County officials on Tuesday declared a local emergency in response to the outbreak .
The ship was supposed to depart for another cruise to Hawaii on Saturday , but that trip was canceled and the cruise line said all guests would receive a full refund .
Newsom , who declared a health emergency Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state could prevent the virus from being spread by passengers on the cruise who already had returned to California .
“ We have the resources , ” Newsom said .
“ We have the capacity .
By this evening , we will have contacted every county health official that has someone who came off this cruise .
They will have their contact information and begin a process to contact those individuals.
” Officials were trying to locate hundreds of other Californians who disembarked from the Grand Princess in San Francisco last month after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they also might have contracted the virus .
Officials in Nevada County , just north of Placer County , joined Los Angeles County and other areas of the state in declaring a local emergency amid the spread of the virus .
Unlike L.A. County , which reported six new cases Wednesday , including a screener at Los Angeles International Airport , Nevada County has had no confirmed cases of COVID-19 .
“ These declarations enhance Nevada County ’ s ability to proactively respond to local needs if or when a confirmed coronavirus case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Blake , the county ’ s public health director , said in a statement .
World Health Organization officials emphasized Thursday that it is not too late to beat back the spread of the virus .
Worldwide , there have been 95,265 cases reported globally and 3,281 deaths .
Parts of China — where the outbreak originated — have brought their daily new infection numbers down to the single digits , health officials said .
Eight provinces have not reported any new cases in the last 14 days .
“ This is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said .
“ If we take the approach that there is nothing we can do , that will quickly become a self-fulfilling prophecy .
It ’ s in our hands .
“ Ultimately , how deadly this virus is will depend not only on the virus itself but how we respond to it , ” he said .
At a news conference Thursday , WHO officials were asked about a prediction that 40 % to 70 % of the world will ultimately contract the coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ account , but China ’ s progress in containing the virus and lowering case numbers makes that seem increasingly unlikely , said Mike Ryan , who heads the agency ’ s emergencies program .
“ There are obvious real things happening in the real world that contradict that , ” he said .
“ That ’ s flying in the face of that prediction .
“ We need to fight .
We need to fight now , ” he said .
“ Our [ direst ] predictions will come true if we do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health measures , like testing and isolation , are working to control the virus .
Countries need to take proactive steps , said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove , the WHO ’ s acting head of emerging diseases .
“ You need to look for all of your cases aggressively , ” she said .
Tedros said he was concerned that some countries have not taken the epidemic seriously enough or have decided there is nothing they can do about it .
He said some countries ’ political commitment does not seem to match @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There must be strong leadership from the top , he said .
“ This epidemic can be pushed back — but only with a collected , coordinated and comprehensive approach that engages the entire machinery of government , ” Tedros said .
“ We ’ re calling on every county to act with speed , scale and clear-minded determination.
” Chabria reported from Sacramento and Karlamangla and Wigglesworth reported from Los Angeles .
Times staff writers Colleen Shalby in Los Angeles , Taryn Luna and Melody Gutierrez in Sacramento , Noam Levey and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Deborah Sullivan Brennan contributed to this report .

Anita Chabria, Soumya Karlamangla, Alex Wigglesworth, Tony Barboza

The Grand Princess cruise ship arrives in San Francisco on Feb. 11. The vessel is being kept offshore amid coronavirus concerns.
Authorities in Santa Clara County on Thursday announced that a Sunnyvale man might be California’s second death connected to the coronavirus.
The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety said a 72-year-old man who had been on a cruise where others contracted the coronavirus was found unresponsive Thursday at his home and officers performed CPR. He later died.
“It was later learned the patient had recently been on a cruise with two passengers were suspected of having COVID-19,” the agency said in a statement.
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“We don’t yet know if the patient had COVID-19,” said Phan Ngo, chief of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. The officers, who did not perform mouth to mouth resuscitation, were quarantined at home, he said.
Santa Clara County has seen at least 20 coronavirus cases, and health officials Thursday issued more stringent recommendations meant to slow the spread of the virus. Guidelines urge residents to postpone large gatherings and cancel large events. Employers should also take steps to make it more feasible for employees to work in ways that minimize large groups and contact with others.
New cases were reported in several areas of California, while Nevada reported its first case, in Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas case was a man in his 50s who had recently traveled to Washington state; he is hospitalized in isolation, officials said.
San Francisco reported its first cases. The two patients are not related and have no travel history to areas where the coronavirus has spread, officials said.
“We do not know at this point how they were exposed to the virus, which suggests it is spreading in the community,” Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco’s director of health, said in a statement. Santa Clara and Solano counties also have reported so-called community spread cases.
Both San Francisco patients were tested by the city’s Department of Public Health lab Wednesday, officials said. They are being treated under isolation at separate San Francisco hospitals.
One patient is a man in his 90s who has underlying health conditions and is in serious condition, officials said. The other patient is a woman in her 40s who is in fair condition.
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The Grand Princess cruise ship was being kept offshore amid concerns that more people onboard might be sick after it was announced that a 75-year-old male passenger on an earlier voyage had fallen ill and died this week of the virus.
Sonoma County health officials confirmed Thursday that a second passenger on the cruise tested positive after announcing another positive result earlier in the week. Both patients were in isolation rooms at a hospital.
Health officials said they had a list of Sonoma County residents who were on the cruise, as well as the shuttle to and from the ship, and were continuing to contact passengers to make them aware of the possibility they may have contracted the virus.
In California, COVID-19 has been reported in 12 counties and sickened at least 60 people.
Additional cases were announced elsewhere in the state Thursday, including four patients in Los Angeles County who had recently returned from a group trip to northern Italy. Health officials had announced Wednesday that three travelers in that same group tested positive for the virus.
Santa Clara County announced Thursday that the number of cases there had grown to 20 from 14. Of the county’s 20 cases, four are related to travel, nine had contacts with other confirmed COVID-19 cases and seven were believed to have caught it in the community.
Of the six new cases — three men and three women — four are at home and two are hospitalized, officials said.
“Our cases to date indicate to us that the risk of exposure to the virus in our community is increasing,” Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County and director of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, said Thursday.
County health officials are calling on employers to suspend nonessential employee travel, cancel large in-person meetings and conferences, and consider using telecommuting options and staggering start and end times to reduce large numbers of people gathering.
Health officials aren’t recommending that schools be closed but said they’ll consider such closures on a case-by-case basis if a school staffer or student is confirmed to have COVID-19.
The San Diego area reported its third case when an employee of an AT&T retail store in Chula Vista tested positive for the virus, the company said Thursday in a statement. Six stores were closed and deep-cleaned “out of an abundance of caution,” the company said.
The employee, who had recently traveled to a region considered at high risk for the coronavirus, went to work Monday but went home sick later that day and notified the company, spokesman Fletcher Cook said. AT&T received notice Tuesday that the employee had tested positive for the virus, he said.
As the virus continues to spread, the U.S. Senate voted 96 to 1 on Thursday to approve $8.3 billion in emergency aid to help fight the outbreak. The measure next goes to President Trump, who is expected to sign it. The funding package will be spent on helping develop a vaccine, with millions going directly to states and cities grappling with the disease.
The hardest hit state so far is Washington, where the number of confirmed cases jumped to 70 and 11 people have died. In total, 51 cases have been reported in King County, 18 in Snohomish County and one in Grant County.
Visiting Washington state Thursday afternoon, Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged that the federal government still has not been able to get enough coronavirus tests to hospitals, clinics and health departments around the country.
“We still have a ways to go,” Pence said. But he again promised millions would be on the way soon, predicting that 4 million tests would be distributed by the end of next week. Pence and other Trump administration officials had promised that 1 million would be distributed by the end of this week, but there has been no verification that this has occurred.
The Grand Princess cruise passenger is the first person to die in California from the illness. After the man’s death, the cruise line said it was notified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the agency was investigating a small cluster of coronavirus cases in Northern California related to the cruise.
Route of the Grand Princess (Thomas Suh Lauder / Los Angeles Times)
The company said that 62 guests who had made the same Mexico voyage the man who died was on remained aboard the Grand Princess for a subsequent trip to Hawaii. That trip was cut short, and guests and crew members who might have come in close contact with the passenger who died were asked to remain in their cabins until they could be screened.
Those people and any others experiencing flu-like symptoms or other respiratory distress were tested on Thursday, according to the cruise line.
The U.S. Coast Guard delivered kits via helicopter Thursday morning so the ship’s medical team could administer the tests. The samples then were flown to a lab in Richmond, Calif., for processing, Princess Cruises said.
The ship, which is currently off the coast of San Francisco, will not be allowed to dock until those test results are back, Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news conference Wednesday.
Princess Cruises spokeswoman Negin Kamali said she had no information on when results are expected or when the ship might return to port.
A passenger said that she had been told results may come tomorrow.
Passengers on the vessel — both current and those who may have been exposed earlier — told the Los Angeles Times that the response to the outbreak by the company and health officials had been filled with missteps. In particular, passengers said that Princess Cruises was lax on health screening protocols prior to boarding and withheld information about the risks they faced, even as the ship’s condition became international news.
Thursday afternoon, two passengers aboard the Grand Princess said all passengers had been confined to their quarters, with public activities canceled. Meals are being delivered by room service beginning this evening, a passenger said.
Kamali confirmed that the CDC had “recommended that guests should remain in their staterooms for the remainder of the cruise.”
Placer County was asking any other individuals who were on the cruise to Mexico to self-quarantine. County officials on Tuesday declared a local emergency in response to the outbreak.
The ship was supposed to depart for another cruise to Hawaii on Saturday, but that trip was canceled and the cruise line said all guests would receive a full refund.
Newsom, who declared a health emergency Wednesday, said he felt confident that the state could prevent the virus from being spread by passengers on the cruise who already had returned to California.
“We have the resources,” Newsom said. “We have the capacity. By this evening, we will have contacted every county health official that has someone who came off this cruise. They will have their contact information and begin a process to contact those individuals.”
Officials were trying to locate hundreds of other Californians who disembarked from the Grand Princess in San Francisco last month after the trip to Mexico to determine whether they also might have contracted the virus.
Officials in Nevada County, just north of Placer County, joined Los Angeles County and other areas of the state in declaring a local emergency amid the spread of the virus. Unlike L.A. County, which reported six new cases Wednesday, including a screener at Los Angeles International Airport, Nevada County has had no confirmed cases of COVID-19.
“These declarations enhance Nevada County’s ability to proactively respond to local needs if or when a confirmed coronavirus case happens in Nevada County,” Jill Blake, the county’s public health director, said in a statement.
World Health Organization officials emphasized Thursday that it is not too late to beat back the spread of the virus.
Worldwide, there have been 95,265 cases reported globally and 3,281 deaths. Parts of China — where the outbreak originated — have brought their daily new infection numbers down to the single digits, health officials said. Eight provinces have not reported any new cases in the last 14 days.
“This is a time for pulling out all the stops,” WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “If we take the approach that there is nothing we can do, that will quickly become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s in our hands.
“Ultimately, how deadly this virus is will depend not only on the virus itself but how we respond to it,” he said.
At a news conference Thursday, WHO officials were asked about a prediction that 40% to 70% of the world will ultimately contract the coronavirus. Officials said they take all predictions into account, but China’s progress in containing the virus and lowering case numbers makes that seem increasingly unlikely, said Mike Ryan, who heads the agency’s emergencies program.
“There are obvious real things happening in the real world that contradict that,” he said. “That’s flying in the face of that prediction.
“We need to fight. We need to fight now,” he said. “Our [direst] predictions will come true if we do nothing.”
Officials emphasized that tried-and-true public health measures, like testing and isolation, are working to control the virus. Countries need to take proactive steps, said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s acting head of emerging diseases.
“You need to look for all of your cases aggressively,” she said.
Tedros said he was concerned that some countries have not taken the epidemic seriously enough or have decided there is nothing they can do about it. He said some countries’ political commitment does not seem to match the level of threat faced globally. There must be strong leadership from the top, he said.
“This epidemic can be pushed back — but only with a collected, coordinated and comprehensive approach that engages the entire machinery of government,” Tedros said. “We’re calling on every county to act with speed, scale and clear-minded determination.”
Chabria reported from Sacramento and Karlamangla and Wigglesworth reported from Los Angeles.
Times staff writers Colleen Shalby in Los Angeles, Taryn Luna and Melody Gutierrez in Sacramento, Noam Levey and Sarah D. Wire in Washington, and San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Deborah Sullivan Brennan contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-06--ICE agent charged with sexually abusing foster child

An agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was arrested Thursday and charged with sexually abusing a foster child in his care , according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney ’ s office .
Carlos Nava , 30 , pleaded not guilty Friday to seven counts of performing sex acts on a child , the district attorney ’ s office said .
Nava ’ s attorney didn ’ t immediately respond to a request for comment .
Kelsey McKeever-Unger , the deputy district attorney handling the case , identified Nava as an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respond to a request for comment .
Between December 2017 and May 2019 , Nava , who lived in Pomona , performed sex acts on the teen , according to a complaint filed in Pomona Superior Court .
Nava was the teen ’ s foster father , McKeever-Unger said .
As of Friday morning , Nava was being held in lieu of $ 250,000 bail , McKeever-Unger said .
He is due to return to court April 9 .
If convicted on all counts , Nava could face up to seven years in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office said .

Carlos Nava, an agent with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who served as a foster parent, pleaded not guilty to charges of performing sex acts on a child, the L.A. County district attorney’s office said. Above, an ICE agent surveys a neighborhood.
An agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was arrested Thursday and charged with sexually abusing a foster child in his care, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Carlos Nava, 30, pleaded not guilty Friday to seven counts of performing sex acts on a child, the district attorney’s office said. Nava’s attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kelsey McKeever-Unger, the deputy district attorney handling the case, identified Nava as an ICE agent. A spokeswoman said the agency “holds its officers to the highest standards of professional conduct and does not tolerate those who violate the law.” The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general helped the Pomona Police Department with its investigation of Nava, she added.
Between December 2017 and May 2019, Nava, who lived in Pomona, performed sex acts on the teen, according to a complaint filed in Pomona Superior Court. Nava was the teen’s foster father, McKeever-Unger said.
As of Friday morning, Nava was being held in lieu of $250,000 bail, McKeever-Unger said. He is due to return to court April 9. If convicted on all counts, Nava could face up to seven years in prison, the district attorney’s office said.


latimes--2020-03-06--State orders permanent shutdown of oil drilling site near USC

California regulators are ordering Allenco Energy to plug wells and decommission an oil drilling site whose neighbors once complained of nosebleeds , headaches and other ailments , permanently closing the South Los Angeles facility .
In the order , State Oil and Gas Supervisor Uduak-Joe Ntuk declared that Allenco Energy had “ deserted ” the facility and failed to properly fix leaks that showed that wells were deteriorating .
Last month , one of the company ’ s executives told state regulators that it would no longer be spending “ further capital ” on the South L.A. site .
Ntuk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must decommission the facility in accordance with state law .
The decision marks the latest turn in a lengthy saga over the site near USC , which became the focus of a flurry of neighborhood protests and government investigations .
Allenco Energy agreed to suspend operations there more than six years ago , after complaints about headaches and other ailments suffered by neighbors .
By that time , federal and local investigations had been launched and an environmental team touring the site had been sickened by toxic fumes .
Sen. Barbara Boxer called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles City Atty .
Mike Feuer then sued and obtained a court order requiring Allenco Energy to follow new requirements if it wanted to restart operations .
Environmental and neighborhood activists argued it should never be allowed to do so .
The latest move by the California Geologic Energy Management Division , formerly known as the Division of Oil , Gas , and Geothermal Resources , heartened community activists who had called for the site to be permanently closed .
“ This has been a long time coming and we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said Nancy Halpern Ibrahim , executive director of the nonprofit Esperanza Community Housing , which raised concerns about health effects from the well site .
Ibrahim credited Ntuk , who previously served as petroleum administrator for the city of Los Angeles , for being “ very , very familiar with how devastating the emissions from Allenco have been for our community — and he has acted consistent with his understanding and scientific expertise.
” An Allenco Energy representative declined to comment on the state order .
Last month , company Vice President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was in the process of liquidating and planned to sell its portion of the South Los Angeles site .
In his letter , Parker wrote that it had become apparent to the company that the city and state regulators did not want Allenco Energy to operate any of the wells there , “ even though it was our fair and legal right to do so.
” Parker complained that the state had changed its rules and made it too hard to reopen the site .
“ It is with great sadness that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afford all of the expenses connected to ” the site , Parker write .
“ We have spent tremendous amounts of capital trying to be compliant and prove that we are good stewards of compliance !
” Allenco Energy is currently in talks with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles , which owns the property , and a possible developer to “ remove us from having any further business responsibilities at this site , ” Parker added .
Ntuk cited a string of recent violations issued in October , November and December in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pose a safety hazard ” and “ multiple gas leaks at multiple locations suggest deteriorating equipment.
” Allenco Energy “ has generally attempted to undertake repairs to address minor leaks within a reasonable amount of time , ” Ntuk noted .
“ However , some of these leaks reappeared on the same equipment after the initial repair indicating that the initial repair was inadequate.
” Decommissioning the facility will require the proper plugging and abandonment of all wells ; drainage and removal of pipes , tanks and vessels ; demolition of all buildings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contaminated soils ; and restoring the surface to “ native or near native conditions , ” according to California Department of Conservation spokesman Donald Drysdale .
A recent investigation by The Times and the Center for Public Integrity found that the city of Los Angeles has been slow and inconsistent in forcing the petroleum industry to take responsibility for wells that sit idle and unplugged , even though it has some regulatory powers that are stronger than those of the state .
Critics say it failed to fully exercise its powers at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cedillo , who represents the area around the facility , recently introduced a proposal asking for city agencies to meet with the Archdiocese about possible uses for the site .
In a statement Friday , the councilman said he was pleased that the California state agency had ordered the closure of the site , saying it was “ about time.
” “ Just this week I introduced a motion to begin discussions on the prospects of partnership for positive use of this land .
Now , with the permanent termination of oil production @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officially begin the long road to environmental recovery , ” Cedillo said .
“ No community should have to compromise their health for any reason in the city of Los Angeles .
”

California regulators are ordering Allenco Energy to plug wells and decommission an oil drilling site whose neighbors once complained of nosebleeds, headaches and other ailments, permanently closing the South Los Angeles facility.
In the order, State Oil and Gas Supervisor Uduak-Joe Ntuk declared that Allenco Energy had “deserted” the facility and failed to properly fix leaks that showed that wells were deteriorating.
Last month, one of the company’s executives told state regulators that it would no longer be spending “further capital” on the South L.A. site. Ntuk said in his order that the company must decommission the facility in accordance with state law.
The decision marks the latest turn in a lengthy saga over the site near USC, which became the focus of a flurry of neighborhood protests and government investigations. Allenco Energy agreed to suspend operations there more than six years ago, after complaints about headaches and other ailments suffered by neighbors.
State Order for Allenco Energy Site Order to Plug and Abandon Wells
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By that time, federal and local investigations had been launched and an environmental team touring the site had been sickened by toxic fumes. Sen. Barbara Boxer called on the company to suspend operations.
Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer then sued and obtained a court order requiring Allenco Energy to follow new requirements if it wanted to restart operations. Environmental and neighborhood activists argued it should never be allowed to do so.
The latest move by the California Geologic Energy Management Division, formerly known as the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, heartened community activists who had called for the site to be permanently closed.
“This has been a long time coming and we’re extremely grateful” to the state agency, said Nancy Halpern Ibrahim, executive director of the nonprofit Esperanza Community Housing, which raised concerns about health effects from the well site.
Ibrahim credited Ntuk, who previously served as petroleum administrator for the city of Los Angeles, for being “very, very familiar with how devastating the emissions from Allenco have been for our community — and he has acted consistent with his understanding and scientific expertise.”
An Allenco Energy representative declined to comment on the state order. Last month, company Vice President Timothy Parker told state regulators that it was in the process of liquidating and planned to sell its portion of the South Los Angeles site.
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Letter from Allenco Energy Vice President Letter from Allenco Energy Vice President
In his letter, Parker wrote that it had become apparent to the company that the city and state regulators did not want Allenco Energy to operate any of the wells there, “even though it was our fair and legal right to do so.”
Parker complained that the state had changed its rules and made it too hard to reopen the site. “It is with great sadness that we’re not able to continue to afford all of the expenses connected to” the site, Parker write. “We have spent tremendous amounts of capital trying to be compliant and prove that we are good stewards of compliance!”
Allenco Energy is currently in talks with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which owns the property, and a possible developer to “remove us from having any further business responsibilities at this site,” Parker added.
Ntuk cited a string of recent violations issued in October, November and December in his order, stating that gas leaks “pose a safety hazard” and “multiple gas leaks at multiple locations suggest deteriorating equipment.”
Allenco Energy “has generally attempted to undertake repairs to address minor leaks within a reasonable amount of time,” Ntuk noted. “However, some of these leaks reappeared on the same equipment after the initial repair indicating that the initial repair was inadequate.”
Decommissioning the facility will require the proper plugging and abandonment of all wells; drainage and removal of pipes, tanks and vessels; demolition of all buildings and structures; removing and disposing of contaminated soils; and restoring the surface to “native or near native conditions,” according to California Department of Conservation spokesman Donald Drysdale.
A recent investigation by The Times and the Center for Public Integrity found that the city of Los Angeles has been slow and inconsistent in forcing the petroleum industry to take responsibility for wells that sit idle and unplugged, even though it has some regulatory powers that are stronger than those of the state. Critics say it failed to fully exercise its powers at the Allenco Energy site.
City Councilman Gil Cedillo, who represents the area around the facility, recently introduced a proposal asking for city agencies to meet with the Archdiocese about possible uses for the site. In a statement Friday, the councilman said he was pleased that the California state agency had ordered the closure of the site, saying it was “about time.”
“Just this week I introduced a motion to begin discussions on the prospects of partnership for positive use of this land. Now, with the permanent termination of oil production at the facility, the neighborhood can officially begin the long road to environmental recovery,” Cedillo said. “No community should have to compromise their health for any reason in the city of Los Angeles.”
Times staff writer Ryan Menezes contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-06--The meme account devoted to Glendale's Americana at Brand was briefly suspended

The Twitter account devoted to the Americana at Brand shopping complex in Glendale was briefly suspended this week .
For the thousands of fans of the account , including this reporter , the temporary removal was more than just the loss of reliable spoofs of the wait times at the Cheesecake Factory and a satirical skewering of the Americana at Brand ’ s rivals , including the Beverly Center and its neighbor , the Glendale Galleria .
“ Twitter , you mess with @ americanamemes , you are messing with me .
This is unacceptable , ” writer Dave Schilling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the account , a Glendale resident who requested anonymity , said he suspected an accumulation of copyright claims for popular music and images he posted led to the suspension .
He had mostly ignored the roughly six copyright claims he ’ s received since the account began , and he said most arose from his adding popular songs to video of the Americana ’ s fountain .
On Thursday , he received notice of a claim related to video he posted this week pairing the dancing fountain with “ Stupid Love , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a telephone interview with The Times , he vowed to deal with the copyright claims .
“ I ’ m hopeful that I ’ ll get it back .
But this just might take a long time and a lot of emails , ” he said .
By Friday morning , the account had been restored .
A spokesman for Twitter declined to comment on the suspension .
The creator said that he started the account with two friends in May , at a time when he was unemployed and working in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rabbit hole ” of niche memes , including one feed that featured memes exchanged by movie theater employees .
“ They were sharing with each other memes about Yahoo.com having bad movie times , or having to replace popcorn .
It was very specific things — such a weird subset of specific memes.
” After his wife told him about a meme account started by a town in upstate New York , the idea took root .
“ It suddenly clicked : I think Glendale should have one .
And it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the Americana , ” he recalled .
He lives in Glendale and said he found himself regularly visiting the shopping complex , even when he wasn ’ t shopping , and he noticed that the Americana had “ a strong following of people who love it.
” “ It still feels like there ’ s always something special there .
It ’ s more than a mall .
It ’ s a weird oasis in Glendale.
” Over time , he has used the account to provide commentary on current events and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current presidential race , for example , and recasting them in Americana-centric jokes .
He also pokes fun at the Americana itself .
He compared the mural in the Americana ’ s movie theater lobby to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel .
Last year , he wished a Happy Father ’ s Day to “ The Americana ’ s daddy , Rick Caruso !
” The account ’ s creator said Caruso ’ s representatives reached out to him a few months ago , asking to meet for coffee .
Before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fretting over what would come of it .
“ In my head , ‘ They are either going to try to shut the account down , or try to hire me to run their social media account.
’ I went through , ‘ What do I do ?
What do I do ?
Should I sell out ?
’ ” Neither came to pass .
“ They wanted to get coffee and introduce themselves ... and open the line of communications , ” he said .
He feels like the account is good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ But I still haven ’ t gotten my free apartment from them , ” he ribbed .

The Twitter account devoted to the Americana at Brand shopping complex in Glendale was briefly suspended this week.
For the thousands of fans of the account, including this reporter, the temporary removal was more than just the loss of reliable spoofs of the wait times at the Cheesecake Factory and a satirical skewering of the Americana at Brand’s rivals, including the Beverly Center and its neighbor, the Glendale Galleria.
“Twitter, you mess with @americanamemes, you are messing with me. This is unacceptable,” writer Dave Schilling said on Twitter.
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The creator of the account, a Glendale resident who requested anonymity, said he suspected an accumulation of copyright claims for popular music and images he posted led to the suspension. He had mostly ignored the roughly six copyright claims he’s received since the account began, and he said most arose from his adding popular songs to video of the Americana’s fountain.
On Thursday, he received notice of a claim related to video he posted this week pairing the dancing fountain with “Stupid Love,” the new Lady Gaga song. In a telephone interview with The Times, he vowed to deal with the copyright claims.
“I’m hopeful that I’ll get it back. But this just might take a long time and a lot of emails,” he said.
By Friday morning, the account had been restored. A spokesman for Twitter declined to comment on the suspension.
The creator said that he started the account with two friends in May, at a time when he was unemployed and working in a grocery store. He “fell down the rabbit hole” of niche memes, including one feed that featured memes exchanged by movie theater employees.
“They were sharing with each other memes about Yahoo.com having bad movie times, or having to replace popcorn. It was very specific things — such a weird subset of specific memes.”
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After his wife told him about a meme account started by a town in upstate New York, the idea took root.
“It suddenly clicked: I think Glendale should have one. And it would be really funny to do one just on the Americana,” he recalled. He lives in Glendale and said he found himself regularly visiting the shopping complex, even when he wasn’t shopping, and he noticed that the Americana had “a strong following of people who love it.”
“It still feels like there’s always something special there. It’s more than a mall. It’s a weird oasis in Glendale.”
Over time, he has used the account to provide commentary on current events and trending issues, seizing boomlets in the current presidential race, for example, and recasting them in Americana-centric jokes.
He also pokes fun at the Americana itself. He compared the mural in the Americana’s movie theater lobby to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Last year, he wished a Happy Father’s Day to “The Americana’s daddy, Rick Caruso!”
Caruso’s eponymous firm built and operates the Americana.
The account’s creator said Caruso’s representatives reached out to him a few months ago, asking to meet for coffee. Before the meeting, he said, he was fretting over what would come of it.
“In my head, ‘They are either going to try to shut the account down, or try to hire me to run their social media account.’ I went through, ‘What do I do? What do I do? Should I sell out?’ ”
Neither came to pass. “They wanted to get coffee and introduce themselves ... and open the line of communications,” he said.
He feels like the account is good publicity for Caruso’s company. “But I still haven’t gotten my free apartment from them,” he ribbed.


latimes--2020-03-06--A second LAX screener tests positive for the coronavirus

A second LAX worker has tested positive for coronavirus , officials said Friday .
Few details were available about the worker , but Los Angeles County health officials said they still don ’ t see signs of community spread .
“ We know that as we see increased cases there ’ s greater concern in some of our communities as to what this means ... for the general public , your risk still remains low , though this is the time you make sure you ’ re practicing good public health hygiene , ” said county health director Barbara Ferrer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as having the virus Tuesday and so far has a mild case and has been isolated , the sources said .
Family members of the person also have been tested .
Since then , officials have been testing other workers In a statement , the Department of Homeland Security described the worker as a medical screener who “ wore all the correct protective equipment and took necessary protections on the job.
” “ As soon as the individual began to feel sick , they self-quarantined , saw a physician , and reported to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a DHS spokesperson said in the statement .
Here are steps LAX says it has taken : -- Installing more than 250 additional hand sanitizer stations throughout our terminals at LAX .
-- Cleaning our public areas and restrooms at least once per hour .
-- Increasing deep cleaning throughout the airport , focusing on “ high touch ” areas at the airport such as handrails , escalators , elevator buttons and restroom doors .
-- Coordinating with contracting partners to ensure that their cleaning crews are following the same protocols .
-- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas with passengers , with information on how to reduce the spread of illness and symptoms of the coronavirus .

A person who works as a medical screener at LAX has tested positive for the new coronavirus.
A second LAX worker has tested positive for coronavirus, officials said Friday.
The confirmed case is a screener who checked arriving passengers for signs of the coronavirus, officials said. The person worked at the same quarantine station in the airport as a person who officials confirmed earlier this week had also been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
“They are likely to have had the same exposure,” said L.A. County health department director Barbara Ferrer.
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will investigate how the worker became ill, because it falls under the federal jurisdiction of Customs and Border Protection, she said.
“We need CDC to go in and work with the staff that are at the quarantine station, look at who the travelers were that came through that day, assess the protections that are being used and assessed where exactly the exposure was,” Ferrer said in a news conference on Friday.
She said county workers are interviewing the close contacts of the LAX workers and monitoring them for symptoms and self-quarantining them if necessary. Ferrer emphasized that there is still no evidence of community spread in L.A. County.
“We know that as we see increased cases there’s greater concern in some of our communities as to what this means,” Ferrer said. “For the general public, your risk still remains low, though this is the time you make sure you’re practicing good public health hygiene.”
The first LAX worker was confirmed as having the virus Tuesday and so far has a mild case and has been isolated, the sources said. Family members of the person also have been tested.
Since then, officials have been testing other workers.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security described the worker as a medical screener who “wore all the correct protective equipment and took necessary protections on the job.”
“As soon as the individual began to feel sick, they self-quarantined, saw a physician, and reported to the appropriate authorities and officials,” a DHS spokesperson said in the statement.
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Here are steps LAX says it has taken:
— Installing more than 250 additional hand sanitizer stations throughout terminals at LAX.
— Cleaning public areas and restrooms at least once an hour.
— Using virus- and bacteria-killing disinfectants.
— Increasing deep cleaning throughout the airport, focusing on “high touch” areas at the airport such as handrails, escalators, elevator buttons and restroom doors.
— Coordinating with contracting partners to ensure that their cleaning crews are following the same protocols.
— Adding signage to high-traffic areas, including areas with passengers, with information on how to reduce the spread of illness and symptoms of the coronavirus.


latimes--2020-03-06--Teacher uses racial slur in classroom; Ventura County school district apologizes

A Ventura County school district has issued an official apology after one of its teachers used a racial slur in class earlier this week , officials said .
Oxnard Union High School District officials emphasized that although the Rio Mesa High School teacher ’ s “ intentions were to educate students about the harmful effects of this word , his actions were not appropriate.
” Rio Mesa , located just north of Oxnard , “ is addressing this matter and ensuring the safety and well-being of those affected by this wrong on our part , ” the district wrote in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to anyone who may have been negatively impacted.
” The incident occurred Wednesday in a mathematics classroom and involved “ a derogatory and hurtful word for our African-American students , ” according to district Supt .
Penelope DeLeon .
DeLeon said the teacher who used the slur is a tenured , veteran instructor , but she did not disclose how long he has been with the district or employed at the high school .
When asked about the teacher ’ s status or whether he will face discipline , DeLeon said , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Rio Mesa will partner with the local NAACP “ to receive training and education on appropriate and acceptable terminology and cultural awareness as related to any historically marginalized and/or discriminated groups , ” the district said in its statement .
“ Rio Mesa High School and the Oxnard Union High School District stand for equity , support and protection of the safety , security and human rights of all our students , staff , faculty , parents and community .
We are opposed to any language which is offensive or harmful to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religion , sexual orientation , age or disability .
”

A teacher at Rio Mesa High School used a racial slur in class earlier this week, prompting an official apology from the Oxnard Union High School District.
A Ventura County school district has issued an official apology after one of its teachers used a racial slur in class earlier this week, officials said.
Oxnard Union High School District officials emphasized that although the Rio Mesa High School teacher’s “intentions were to educate students about the harmful effects of this word, his actions were not appropriate.”
Rio Mesa, located just north of Oxnard, “is addressing this matter and ensuring the safety and well-being of those affected by this wrong on our part,” the district wrote in a statement. “We sincerely apologize to anyone who may have been negatively impacted.”
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The incident occurred Wednesday in a mathematics classroom and involved “a derogatory and hurtful word for our African-American students,” according to district Supt. Penelope DeLeon.
DeLeon said the teacher who used the slur is a tenured, veteran instructor, but she did not disclose how long he has been with the district or employed at the high school.
When asked about the teacher’s status or whether he will face discipline, DeLeon said, “I cannot discuss confidential personnel matters.”
Rio Mesa will partner with the local NAACP “to receive training and education on appropriate and acceptable terminology and cultural awareness as related to any historically marginalized and/or discriminated groups,” the district said in its statement.
“Rio Mesa High School and the Oxnard Union High School District stand for equity, support and protection of the safety, security and human rights of all our students, staff, faculty, parents and community. We are opposed to any language which is offensive or harmful to anyone based on gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age or disability.”


latimes--2020-03-06--Sparks and bullets fly before wild pursuit ends in Sylmar

A wild pursuit that began Thursday night in the Antelope Valley and ended in Sylmar included a car crashing through gates , its occupants shooting at authorities — including a law enforcement helicopter — and the driver eventually trying to run across the 5 Freeway , authorities said .
The pursuit started about 9:30 p.m. , when Los Angeles County sheriff ’ s deputies from the Palmdale Station tried to pull over a DUI suspect .
The car — a black sedan , according to video of the incident — sped away and eventually crashed through a gate at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The car continued on , tearing through several chain-link fences while the driver shot at pursing deputies , sheriff ’ s officials said , before plowing through another gate to exit the complex .
Occupants of the car also fired several rounds at a Sheriff ’ s Department helicopter that was pursing the vehicle , officials said .
Video showed the car speeding along the 14 Freeway in the Agua Dulce area and onto the 5 Freeway before merging onto the eastbound 210 Freeway in Sylmar around 10:17 p.m. During the pursuit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disable the vehicle .
Video showed a shower of sparks pouring from the car during the pursuit ’ s final moments , apparently the result of driving on a bare wheel rim .
The vehicle eventually stopped on the connector from the 5 to the 210 in Sylmar , according to the Sheriff ’ s Department .
The driver — who authorities say was armed with a TEC-9 semiautomatic pistol — then ditched the vehicle and tried to run away before a deputy shot him in the leg .
The suspect fled down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where he was struck by a passing vehicle .
Deputies were then able to take him into custody .
A passenger in the car was arrested without incident , authorities said .
A second handgun was found in the car , according to sheriff ’ s officials .
The driver was taken to a hospital in fair condition , authorities said .
A deputy who pursued the suspect on foot was also struck by a vehicle on the freeway and was taken to a hospital in good condition .
The investigation is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to call the sheriff ’ s Homicide Bureau at ( 323 ) 890-5500 .
Tips can be left anonymously at ( 800 ) 222-8477 .

A wild pursuit that began Thursday night in the Antelope Valley and ended in Sylmar included a car crashing through gates, its occupants shooting at authorities — including a law enforcement helicopter — and the driver eventually trying to run across the 5 Freeway, authorities said.
The pursuit started about 9:30 p.m., when Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies from the Palmdale Station tried to pull over a DUI suspect.
The car — a black sedan, according to video of the incident — sped away and eventually crashed through a gate at a Lockheed Martin facility, authorities said. The car continued on, tearing through several chain-link fences while the driver shot at pursing deputies, sheriff’s officials said, before plowing through another gate to exit the complex.
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Occupants of the car also fired several rounds at a Sheriff’s Department helicopter that was pursing the vehicle, officials said.
Video showed the car speeding along the 14 Freeway in the Agua Dulce area and onto the 5 Freeway before merging onto the eastbound 210 Freeway in Sylmar around 10:17 p.m.
During the pursuit, deputies deployed spike strips to try to disable the vehicle. Video showed a shower of sparks pouring from the car during the pursuit’s final moments, apparently the result of driving on a bare wheel rim.
The vehicle eventually stopped on the connector from the 5 to the 210 in Sylmar, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
The driver — who authorities say was armed with a TEC-9 semiautomatic pistol — then ditched the vehicle and tried to run away before a deputy shot him in the leg.
The suspect fled down an embankment and onto the 5 Freeway, where he was struck by a passing vehicle. Deputies were then able to take him into custody.
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A passenger in the car was arrested without incident, authorities said. A second handgun was found in the car, according to sheriff’s officials.
Neither suspect was identified.
The driver was taken to a hospital in fair condition, authorities said. A deputy who pursued the suspect on foot was also struck by a vehicle on the freeway and was taken to a hospital in good condition.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Tips can be left anonymously at (800) 222-8477.