latimes--2020-09-30--California task force will consider paying reparations for slavery

With Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s signature , California became the first state government in the country on Wednesday to adopt a law to study and develop proposals for potential reparations to descendants of enslaved people and those impacted by slavery .
Newsom said the new law and bipartisan support for its passage is proving “ a paradigm that we hope will be resonant all across the United States.
” In a year of national protests against racial injustice , state lawmakers approved Assembly Bill 3121 to force the state to begin to confront its racist history and systemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entered the Union as a “ free state ” in 1850 , slavery continued there after the state Constitution outlawed it the previous year .
Slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865 .
The new law creates a task force to recommend appropriate remedies to the state Legislature and determine who should be eligible to receive compensation , which advocates hope will become a model in a country where movements to make amends for centuries of slavery have failed to gain traction at the federal level .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of its issues , but it has yet to come to terms with its role in slavery , ” said Assemblywoman Shirley Weber ( D-San Diego ) , the author of AB 3121 .
“ We ’ re talking about really addressing the issues of justice and fairness in this country that we have to address.
” The task force , which comprises nine members to be appointed by the governor and legislative leaders , will conduct a sweeping examination of slavery in California and the United States and the lasting consequences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ descendants .
The group is expected to consider the ways in which slavery has benefitted private and public institutions and led to lasting disparities related to wealth , education , employment , health and incarceration .
The bill states that 4 million African people and their descendants were enslaved in the United States from 1619 to 1865 , and the practice was constitutionally approved for more than 75 years .
California has a long history of allowing slavery and discrimination , dating back to before it gained statehood .
Southerners brought slaves to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gold mines during the gold rush , according to the California Historical Society .
Though California banned slavery in its constitution in 1849 ahead of joining the Union the following year , loopholes in its legal system allowed slavery and discrimination against freed slaves to continue .
California ’ s first governor , in his inaugural address , recommended the Legislature ban freed slaves from the state .
“ Had they been born here , and had acquired rights in consequence , I should not recommend any measure to expel them , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Legislature in late 1849 .
“ They are not now here , except a few in comparison with the numbers that would be here ; and the object is to keep them out.
” Federal fugitive slave laws compelled citizens and governments to help return those who had escaped slavery to the South .
California passed its own fugitive slave law in 1852 , which stated that all enslaved people who escaped to or were brought into California before it became a state were considered fugitives and the property of the slave owner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them there to work .
The law was interpreted to allow slaveowners to bring enslaved people to California to work and eventually return with them to the South , according to an article published in the Journal of Negro History in 1918 .
Slave owners also sold those they enslaved if they didn ’ t want to pay for their return travel , or charged them for their freedom .
The California Historical Society also notes that advertisements for the sale of enslaved people appeared in local newspapers .
“ The law wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so people brought slaves with them to California , ” said Charles P. Henry , professor emeritus of African American Studies at UC Berkeley .
Until 1863 , California also had laws that barred Black people from testifying against white people in court .
Racial discrimination has persisted into more modern times , with issues such as school segregation and busing dividing cities including Los Angeles into the 1970s .
Just last year , the Sausalito Marin City School District received the state ’ s first desegregation order in 50 years .
White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living in their neighborhoods under agreements not to sell to Black buyers .
The California Legislature passed a law in 1963 to ban discrimination on the basis of race in the sale or rental of public housing or apartments , but voters overturned it the following year .
“ It was thrown out so we have had housing segregation , which of course leads to school segregation , ” Henry said .
“ It leads to not only the absence of living in better neighborhoods , but also having better schools and all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of discrimination .
We could go on down the list in terms of criminal justice , et cetera .
This history of California has been heavily documented by scholars throughout California and in the nation.
” Movements to pay reparations have long existed , but no state has approved such a sweeping law to consider ways to make amends for slavery and its impact .
The state of Florida paid more than $ 2 million in reparations to survivors of the 1924 Rosewood massacre , in which white mobs destroyed the Black community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The payments , approved in a 1994 law , included $ 150,000 to each of nine survivors and $ 500,000 total for their descendants , some of whom were also eligible for scholarships to cover tuition and fees .
In 1988 , Congress approved $ 20,000 to each survivor of the Japanese American internment camps during World War II .
The bill , with a total cost of $ 1.25 billion , paid nearly 62,000 former internees and residents of the Aleutian Islands who were relocated during the war and their community destroyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donor , Virginia in 2004 created college scholarships for state residents who lost access to education when public schools in Prince Edward County and other communities closed in the 1950s and ‘ 60s in defiance of a landmark Supreme Court case , Brown vs. Board of Education , which ruled school segregation unconstitutional .
California law says that state reparations would not be considered a replacement for reparations at the federal level , which have failed to advance for over a century .
The first congressional bill to provide pensions to people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1890 and failed to pass .
Members of Congress have introduced a resolution to establish a commission to study and develop reparations proposals — which was used as a model for Weber ’ s bill — in every session since 1989 .
Critics of the California law contended that it ’ s the federal government ’ s responsibility to provide reparations , which Weber agrees with .
“ I think it should start at the federal level , but will it ?
” Weber said .
“ The fact that it didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stand here crying for the next 40 , 50 years until it starts at the federal level.
” Weber said the intent of the California law is for the task force to prioritize potential reparations for African American people who are “ descendants of enslaved people or those who were impacted by slavery.
” The law does not prescribe a form of reparations or dictate how the state should determine who would qualify for compensation , leaving those questions up to the task force to study and recommend .
In order for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Legislature would need to pass another bill to approve reparation payments .
Weber said she hopes the task force will consider forms of reparations beyond cash payments .
She referenced a 1865 order by the Union to give freed slaves “ 40 acres and a mule ” — which , as scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. explains , was later reversed — as an opportunity to build wealth , but offered more recent ideas about helping with a down payment for a home and ways to provide access to better education among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When you start looking at the difference between poor whites and poor Blacks , it ’ s an enormous wealth gap just among those groups alone , ” Weber said .
“ So , hopefully , they will look at what policies we put in place , and that they will have a list of policies that they believe the Legislature might want to take up.
” The new law calls on the task force to educate the public about the history of slavery in the U.S. and California and the discriminatory policies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newsom apologized to Native Americans for a history of “ violence , maltreatment and neglect , ” which included slavery and genocide , and developed a Truth and Healing Council to correct the historical record about the state ’ s treatment of Indigenous people and discuss potential reparations .
Although there are many different forms of possible reparations , Henry said a similar agreed-upon set of facts about the treatment of Black people and an apology would be a good start .
“ I think that this whole notion of truth and reconciliation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some responsibility and accountability here and until you have that , you can ’ t really talk about sort of any meaningful kinds of reparations , ” he said .

California Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, is the author of AB 3121, which would create a task force to recommend appropriate slavery reparations and determine who should be eligible to receive compensation.
With Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature, California became the first state government in the country on Wednesday to adopt a law to study and develop proposals for potential reparations to descendants of enslaved people and those impacted by slavery.
Newsom said the new law and bipartisan support for its passage are proving “a paradigm that we hope will be resonant all across the United States.”
In a year of national protests against racial injustice, state lawmakers approved Assembly Bill 3121 to force the state to begin to confront its racist history and systemic disparities that persist today. Although California entered the Union as a “free state” in 1850, slavery continued there after the state Constitution outlawed it the previous year. Slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865.
Advertisement
The new law creates a task force to recommend appropriate remedies to the state Legislature and determine who should be eligible to receive compensation, which advocates hope will become a model in a country where movements to make amends for centuries of slavery have failed to gain traction at the federal level.
“California has come to terms with many of its issues, but it has yet to come to terms with its role in slavery,” said Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), the author of AB 3121. “We’re talking about really addressing the issues of justice and fairness in this country that we have to address.”
The task force, which comprises nine members to be appointed by the governor and legislative leaders, will conduct a sweeping examination of slavery in California and the United States and the lasting consequences of discrimination against freed slaves and their descendants. The group is expected to consider the ways in which slavery has benefitted private and public institutions and led to lasting disparities related to wealth, education, employment, health and incarceration.
The bill states that 4 million African people and their descendants were enslaved in the United States from 1619 to 1865, and the practice was constitutionally approved for more than 75 years.
California has a long history of allowing slavery and discrimination, dating back to before it gained statehood.
Southerners brought slaves to California in 1848 to work in the gold mines during the gold rush, according to the California Historical Society. Though California banned slavery in its constitution in 1849 ahead of joining the Union the following year, loopholes in its legal system allowed slavery and discrimination against freed slaves to continue.
Advertisement
California’s first governor, in his inaugural address, recommended the Legislature ban freed slaves from the state.
“Had they been born here, and had acquired rights in consequence, I should not recommend any measure to expel them,” Gov. Peter Burnett said to the Legislature in late 1849. “They are not now here, except a few in comparison with the numbers that would be here; and the object is to keep them out.”
Federal fugitive slave laws compelled citizens and governments to help return those who had escaped slavery to the South. California passed its own fugitive slave law in 1852, which stated that all enslaved people who escaped to or were brought into California before it became a state were considered fugitives and the property of the slave owner from whom they fled or who brought them there to work.
The law was interpreted to allow slaveowners to bring enslaved people to California to work and eventually return with them to the South, according to an article published in the Journal of Negro History in 1918. Slave owners also sold those they enslaved if they didn’t want to pay for their return travel, or charged them for their freedom.
The California Historical Society also notes that advertisements for the sale of enslaved people appeared in local newspapers.
“The law wasn’t really enforced in California and so people brought slaves with them to California,” said Charles P. Henry, professor emeritus of African American Studies at UC Berkeley.
Until 1863, California also had laws that barred Black people from testifying against white people in court.
Racial discrimination has persisted into more modern times, with issues such as school segregation and busing dividing cities including Los Angeles into the 1970s. Just last year, the Sausalito Marin City School District received the state’s first desegregation order in 50 years.
White homeowners for decades restricted Black people from living in their neighborhoods under agreements not to sell to Black buyers.
The California Legislature passed a law in 1963 to ban discrimination on the basis of race in the sale or rental of public housing or apartments, but voters overturned it the following year.
“It was thrown out so we have had housing segregation, which of course leads to school segregation,” Henry said. “It leads to not only the absence of living in better neighborhoods, but also having better schools and all the implications that drove from that kind of discrimination. We could go on down the list in terms of criminal justice, et cetera. This history of California has been heavily documented by scholars throughout California and in the nation.”
Movements to pay reparations have long existed, but no state has approved such a sweeping law to consider ways to make amends for slavery and its effects.
The state of Florida paid more than $2 million in reparations to survivors of the 1924 Rosewood massacre, in which white mobs destroyed the Black community and killed at least six people. The payments, approved in a 1994 law, included $150,000 to each of nine survivors and $500,000 total for their descendants, some of whom were also eligible for scholarships to cover tuition and fees.
In 1988, Congress approved $20,000 to each survivor of the Japanese American internment camps during World War II. The bill, with a total cost of $1.25 billion, paid nearly 62,000 former internees and residents of the Aleutian Islands who were relocated during the war and their community destroyed.
Through a partnership with a private donor, Virginia in 2004 created college scholarships for state residents who lost access to education when public schools in Prince Edward County and other communities closed in the 1950s and ‘60s in defiance of a landmark Supreme Court case, Brown vs. Board of Education, which ruled school segregation unconstitutional.
California law says that state reparations would not be considered a replacement for reparations at the federal level, which have failed to advance for more than a century.
The first congressional bill to provide pensions to people who had formerly been enslaved was introduced in 1890 and failed to pass. Members of Congress have introduced a resolution to establish a commission to study and develop reparation proposals — which was used as a model for Weber’s bill — in every session since 1989.
Critics of the California law contended that it’s the federal government’s responsibility to provide reparations, which Weber agrees with.
“I think it should start at the federal level, but will it?” Weber said. “The fact that it didn’t doesn’t mean I need to stand here crying for the next 40, 50 years until it starts at the federal level.”
Weber said the intent of the California law is for the task force to prioritize potential reparations for African American people who are “descendants of enslaved people or those who were impacted by slavery.”
The law does not prescribe a form of reparations or dictate how the state should determine who would qualify for compensation, leaving those questions up to the task force to study and recommend. In order for those recommendations to be acted upon, the Legislature would need to pass another bill to approve reparation payments.
Weber said she hopes the task force will consider forms of reparations beyond cash payments.
She referenced an 1865 order by the Union to give freed slaves “40 acres and a mule” — which, as scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. explains, was later reversed — as an opportunity to build wealth, but offered more recent ideas about helping with a down payment for a home and ways to provide access to better education among other potential areas of consideration.
“When you start looking at the difference between poor whites and poor Blacks, it’s an enormous wealth gap just among those groups alone,” Weber said. “So, hopefully, they will look at what policies we put in place, and that they will have a list of policies that they believe the Legislature might want to take up.”
The new law calls on the task force to educate the public about the history of slavery in the U.S. and California and the discriminatory policies that came after.
Last year, Newsom apologized to Native Americans for a history of “violence, maltreatment and neglect,” which included slavery and genocide, and developed a Truth and Healing Council to correct the historical record about the state’s treatment of Indigenous people and discuss potential reparations.
Although there are many different forms of possible reparations, Henry said a similar agreed-upon set of facts about the treatment of Black people and an apology would be a good start.
“I think that this whole notion of truth and reconciliation needs to begin with some recognition of some responsibility and accountability here and until you have that, you can’t really talk about sort of any meaningful kinds of reparations,” he said.


latimes--2020-09-30--L.A. County allowing shopping malls, nail salons and playgrounds to reopen

After months of closure , shopping centers and nail salons in Los Angeles County will be allowed to resume indoor operations with limited capacity over the next 10 days .
Outdoor playgrounds have also been given the green light to reopen following the state ’ s allowance on Tuesday .
Nail salons and indoor malls will be allowed to reopen at 25 % capacity , but per state guidance , mall food courts and common areas will remain closed .
The decision to reopen parks falls to the city or county jurisdiction that oversees such spaces .
If a city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the more stringent enforcement would apply .
The city of Los Angeles , for example , has previously closed businesses before the county ’ s orders .
As L.A. County continues to reopen , L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said last week that he hopes “ we will prioritize our youngest and most vulnerable children , getting them back to safe learning environments as our highest priority.
” Officials announced the update one day after the Board of Supervisors voted to direct the Department of Public Health to allow for school waiver applications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passed a motion to reopen outdoor operations at breweries , wineries and card rooms .
The county is taking a staggered approach to reopening over the next 10 days and will announce dates for individual sectors Friday .
The county has been allowed to reopen several business sectors for weeks , but refrained until case data from Labor Day had been retrieved .
Health officials have not seen a surge connected to the holiday weekend , and announced Wednesday that the positivity rate — 3 % — and hospitalization count — 734 — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start of the pandemic .
But officials are projecting an increase in hospitalizations and community transmission in the coming weeks .
“ We base all our decisions on the data and the science , ” Supervisor Hilda Solis said .
“ We ’ ll continue to monitor , but of course will be reliant on people ’ s compliance.
” The county ’ s projected transmission rate — the number of people infected by one positive case — sits at 1 after creeping just above that number earlier this week .
The goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is to keep that metric below 1 because the higher it rises , the greater the rate of transmission .
The data relies on the understanding that people ’ s actions remain constant .
A change in activity affects the forecast .
“ If our behavior does not remain constant , we ’ ll see that change , ” Human Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly said .
The state has projected an 89 % increase in hospitalizations throughout the state by Oct. 25 .
In L.A. County , officials are preparing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ghaly warned flu season could change that .
“ The number of ICU beds in the near future could become inadequate , ” she said .
Officials announced 30 additional COVID-19 deaths and 1,063 new cases Wednesday , bringing the total number of recorded infections in the county to more than 269,390 .
To date , more than 2.6 million COVID-19 tests have been conducted .

Shopping malls in L.A. County will be able to resume indoor operations with restrictions.
After months of closure, shopping centers and nail salons in Los Angeles County will be allowed to resume indoor operations with limited capacity over the next 10 days. Outdoor playgrounds have also been given the green light to reopen following the state’s allowance on Tuesday.
Nail salons and indoor malls will be allowed to reopen at 25% capacity, but per state guidance, mall food courts and common areas will remain closed.
The decision to reopen parks falls to the city or county jurisdiction that oversees such spaces. If a city implements a stricter rule than the county, the more stringent enforcement would apply. The city of Los Angeles, for example, has previously closed businesses before the county’s orders.
Advertisement
As L.A. County continues to reopen, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said last week that he hopes “we will prioritize our youngest and most vulnerable children, getting them back to safe learning environments as our highest priority.”
Officials announced the update one day after the Board of Supervisors voted to direct the Department of Public Health to allow for school waiver applications for grades TK-2. The board also passed a motion to reopen outdoor operations at breweries, wineries and card rooms.
The county is taking a staggered approach to reopening over the next 10 days and will announce dates for individual sectors Friday.
The county has been allowed to reopen several business sectors for weeks, but refrained until case data from Labor Day had been retrieved.
Health officials have not seen a surge connected to the holiday weekend, and announced Wednesday that the positivity rate — 3% — and hospitalization count — 734 — have reached their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic. But officials are projecting an increase in hospitalizations and community transmission in the coming weeks.
“We base all our decisions on the data and the science,” Supervisor Hilda Solis said. “We’ll continue to monitor, but of course will be reliant on people’s compliance.”
The county’s projected transmission rate — the number of people infected by one positive case — sits at 1 after creeping just above that number earlier this week. The goal for the county, and the state, is to keep that metric below 1 because the higher it rises, the greater the rate of transmission.
The data relies on the understanding that people’s actions remain constant. A change in activity affects the forecast.
Advertisement
“If our behavior does not remain constant, we’ll see that change,” Human Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly said.
The state has projected an 89% increase in hospitalizations throughout the state by Oct. 25. In L.A. County, officials are preparing for that surge. While resources are stable, Ghaly warned flu season could change that.
“The number of ICU beds in the near future could become inadequate,” she said.
Officials announced 30 additional COVID-19 deaths and 1,063 new cases Wednesday, bringing the total number of recorded infections in the county to more than 269,390. To date, more than 2.6 million COVID-19 tests have been conducted.


latimes--2020-09-30--Second child dies after motorist hits 2 boys in Westlake Village

A second child has died after being struck by a vehicle Tuesday night in Westlake Village , and authorities have arrested the driver in the fatal crash , the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department said Wednesday .
Two boys were crossing the street near Triunfo Canyon Road and Saddle Mountain Drive around 7:10 p.m. when a motorist struck them , immediately killing one .
The other child was transported to a hospital , where he was pronounced dead a few hours later , according to a post on the Sheriff ’ s Department Facebook page .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brothers , ages 9 and 11 .
Authorities have not identified the boys .
Video from the scene shows a scooter in the street , a helmet and rollerblades on a sidewalk near the crash location and a white Mercedes with front-end damage .
Rebecca Grossman , 57 , has been arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter in connection with the fatal crash , and her bail was set at $ 2 million , authorities said .
Capt .
Salvador Becerra said sheriff ’ s officials think speed and alcohol were factors in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the possibility that Grossman might have left the scene .
Multiple media outlets reported that the driver was the same Rebecca Grossman who is listed as a founding board member of the nearby Grossman Burn Foundation , the philanthropic arm of Grossman Burn Centers Inc. , which treats burn victims around the world .
According to the foundation ’ s website , Grossman ’ s husband , Peter Grossman , is a plastic surgeon who performs reconstructive surgeries on burn victims .
A mother of two , Rebecca Grossman has accrued numerous honors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ domestic violence prevention and other humanitarian efforts , including the American Heart Assn .
's “ Woman of the Year ” award in 2007 , according to the website .
There was no immediate comment from the Grossman Burn Foundation .
A Rebecca Grossman also was listed as a past publisher and editorial director of Westlake Magazine , but by mid-afternoon , her name had been removed from the publication ’ s website .
Her LinkedIn page shows she is CEO of Powerhouse Lux Media , publisher of Westlake Magazine , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magazines , which she founded in 2016 .
Sheriff ’ s officials said that at the time of the crash , six family members were crossing the three-way intersection — which does not have a stoplight — in a marked crosswalk when the mother heard a car speeding toward them .
Both parents reached out to stop their children , but the two boys were too far into the intersection and were struck by the car .
Neighbors say the area has a problem with people driving too fast on that stretch of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walked over to the intersection when he heard the commotion of emergency response vehicles .
As a nearly 40-year resident of the neighborhood , he has watched cars fly through the intersection .
He suggests installing a pedestrian light .
“ It ’ s a very dangerous crosswalk .
The cars don ’ t stop , ” Ohanian said .
“ All the cars just drive very , very fast.
” An online all-faith prayer gathering was scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday on Zoom , according to a community post .
The crash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is asked to call the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff ’ s Station at ( 818 ) 878-1808 .

People place flowers at a growing memorial for two brothers who were fatally injured while crossing Triunfo Canyon Road at Saddle Mountain Drive in Westlake Village.
A second child has died after being struck by a vehicle Tuesday night in Westlake Village, and authorities have arrested the driver in the fatal crash, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.
Two boys were crossing the street near Triunfo Canyon Road and Saddle Mountain Drive around 7:10 p.m. when a motorist struck them, immediately killing one. The other child was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later, according to a post on the Sheriff’s Department Facebook page.
According to Fox 11 News, the children were brothers, ages 9 and 11. Authorities have not identified the boys.
Video from the scene shows a scooter in the street, a helmet and rollerblades on a sidewalk near the crash site and a white Mercedes with front-end damage.
Advertisement
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department photo shows the vehicle involved in the fatal crash. (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)
Rebecca Grossman, 57, has been arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter in connection with the fatal crash, and her bail was set at $2 million, authorities said.
Capt. Salvador Becerra said sheriff’s officials think speed and alcohol were factors in the crash, and they were investigating the possibility that Grossman might have left the scene.
Multiple media outlets reported that the driver was the same Rebecca Grossman who is listed as a founding board member of the nearby Grossman Burn Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Grossman Burn Centers Inc., which treats burn victims around the world.
Samira Steventon comforts her 12-year-old son, Matthew, before placing flowers at a growing memorial for two brothers who were fatally injured in Westlake Village. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
According to the foundation’s website, Grossman’s husband, Dr. Peter Grossman, is a plastic surgeon who performs reconstructive surgeries on burn victims. A mother of two, Rebecca Grossman has accrued numerous honors for her work in human rights, domestic violence prevention and other humanitarian efforts, including the American Heart Assn.’s “Woman of the Year” award in 2007, according to the website.
There was no immediate comment from the Grossman Burn Foundation.
Advertisement
A Rebecca Grossman also was listed as a past publisher and editorial director of Westlake Magazine, but by midafternoon, her name had been removed from the publication’s website. Her LinkedIn page shows she is CEO of Powerhouse Lux Media, publisher of Westlake Magazine, as well as West Luxury and Paragon Healthy Lifestyles magazines, which she founded in 2016.
Sheriff’s officials said that at the time of the crash, six family members were crossing the three-way intersection — which does not have a stoplight — in a marked crosswalk when the mother heard a car speeding toward them. Both parents reached out to stop their children, but the two boys were too far into the intersection and were struck by the car.
Samira and Matthew Steventon after placing flowers at the memorial. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Neighbors say the area has a problem with people driving too fast on that stretch of road. Carlo Ohanian, 72, walked over to the intersection when he heard the commotion of emergency response vehicles. As a nearly 40-year resident of the neighborhood, he said he has watched cars fly through the intersection. He suggested installing a pedestrian light.
“It’s a very dangerous crosswalk. The cars don’t stop,” Ohanian said. “All the cars just drive very, very fast.”
In a statement, a spokeswoman for Westlake Village called the crash devastating and said the city’s government “shares the community’s concerns over unsafe driving and will continue to take necessary and appropriate measures” to keep residents safe.
The crash is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station at (818) 878-1808.
A cyclist rides by the scene of a fatal accident in Westlake Village. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Times staff writer Matthew Ormseth and City News Service contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-09-30--In latest clash with NRA, Newsom signs bill to help police trace guns

New pistol models sold in California will eventually have to include micro-stamping technology that will make them easier to trace by law enforcement if they are used in crimes , under legislation signed Tuesday by Gov .
Gavin Newsom .
The measure is the latest flashpoint in a years-long battle between the governor and the National Rifle Assn .
that included a clash over Proposition 63 , a 2016 initiative by then-Lt. Gov .
Newsom , which regulated guns and ammunition .
The NRA has sued the state half a dozen times to challenge gun laws supported by Newsom , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which takes effect July 1 , 2022 , also requires the handguns to be equipped with safety measures including chamber load indicators and magazine disconnect mechanisms .
“ This is a bill that will assist law enforcement in solving gun-related crimes via using micro-stamping technology and reduce the number of accidental gun deaths and injuries , ” said Assembly member David Chiu ( D-San Francisco ) , who introduced the bill .
California tried forcing gun makers to make firearms more trackable 12 years ago , but the industry said technology made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requiring two micro-stamps on each weapon .
The new law , AB 2847 , simplifies the process by allowing one micro-stamp per firearm , which state officials say is technologically feasible .
The process involves imprinting microscopic sets of characters on the bullet cartridge casing when a weapon is fired , which allows law enforcement to match casings with the weapon from which they were fired .
As a result , the new law has the support of many law enforcement leaders in the state including state Atty .
Gen. Xavier Becerra , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and San Francisco Dist .
Atty .
Chesa Boudin .
“ Micro-stamping firearms — so a bullet cartridge can be traced to a crime gun — protects public safety by giving law enforcement essential leads in tracking down the shooter , ” Feuer said .
Tougher rules passed in 2007 applied to new handgun models , but manufacturers haven ’ t introduced new designs in the California market since then , state officials said .
The new law seeks to speed up micro-stamping of guns by instructing the attorney general to remove three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certified as safe for sale for each new compliant handgun model that is introduced .
The law is opposed by groups including the National Rifle Assn .
and the California Rifle and Pistol Assn .
Removing three firearm models certified by the state as safe from the list of allowable guns for every new one added is “ nonsensical and a blatant effort to curtail law-abiding citizens ’ choice to determine the right firearm for the defense of themselves and their loved ones , ” Daniel Reid , western regional director of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , wrote in a letter to lawmakers .
Reid also questioned the viability and cost of micro-stamp technology , adding “ if an individual were to acquire a micro-stamped handgun with the intent of using it in a crime , they could easily deface or replace the firing pin in order to defeat the technology.
” The California Sportsman ’ s Lobby also opposed the law , saying it will “ substantially reduce ” the number of pistols available to sports shooters to buy .
“ The models currently on the roster are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue to be available to sportsmen and other lawful individuals regardless of whether new models are added , ” the group argued in a letter to lawmakers .
The new law ’ s supporters include Mattie Scott , president of Brady California United Against Gun Violence , whose son ’ s gun death remains unsolved more than two decades after he was shot while attending a graduation party in San Francisco .
“ Micro-stamping policies could have helped to solve my son ’ s case , ” Scott said .
The governor vetoed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to close a loophole identified when a 19-year-old gunman opened fire at a Poway synagogue last year .
The bill would have made it harder for people under age 21 to buy rifles by requiring gun dealers and the state Department of Justice to first confirm they had a valid hunter ’ s license .
Newsom wrote in his veto message that the DOJ does not currently have the technology to verify the validity of hunting licenses .
“ In order to meet the requirements in this bill it would take DOJ 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Newsom wrote , adding that it would take resources away from other technology projects in the works to enforce requirements in seven previously approved gun control bills .

Handguns are displayed at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas in 2016.
New pistol models sold in California will eventually have to include micro-stamping technology that will make them easier to trace by law enforcement if they are used in crimes, under legislation signed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The measure is the latest flashpoint in a years-long battle between the governor and the National Rifle Assn. that included a clash over Proposition 63, a 2016 initiative by then-Lt. Gov. Newsom, which regulated guns and ammunition.
The NRA has sued the state half a dozen times to challenge gun laws supported by Newsom, including that initiative.
The new law, which takes effect July 1, 2022, also requires the handguns to be equipped with safety measures including chamber load indicators and magazine disconnect mechanisms.
“This is a bill that will assist law enforcement in solving gun-related crimes via using micro-stamping technology and reduce the number of accidental gun deaths and injuries,” said Assembly member David Chiu (D-San Francisco), who introduced the bill.
California tried forcing gun makers to make firearms more trackable 12 years ago, but the industry said technology made it difficult to comply with a rule requiring two micro-stamps on each weapon.
Advertisement
The new law, AB 2847, simplifies the process by allowing one micro-stamp per firearm, which state officials say is technologically feasible.
The process involves imprinting microscopic sets of characters on the bullet cartridge casing when a weapon is fired, which allows law enforcement to match casings with the weapon from which they were fired.
As a result, the new law has the support of many law enforcement leaders in the state including state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer and San Francisco Dist. Atty. Chesa Boudin.
“Micro-stamping firearms — so a bullet cartridge can be traced to a crime gun — protects public safety by giving law enforcement essential leads in tracking down the shooter,” Feuer said.
Tougher rules passed in 2007 applied to new handgun models, but manufacturers haven’t introduced new designs in the California market since then, state officials said.
The new law seeks to speed up micro-stamping of guns by instructing the attorney general to remove three models from the state list of handguns certified as safe for sale for each new compliant handgun model that is introduced.
Advertisement
The law is opposed by groups including the National Rifle Assn. and the California Rifle and Pistol Assn.
Removing three firearm models certified by the state as safe from the list of allowable guns for every new one added is “nonsensical and a blatant effort to curtail law-abiding citizens’ choice to determine the right firearm for the defense of themselves and their loved ones,” Daniel Reid, western regional director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, wrote in a letter to lawmakers.
Reid also questioned the viability and cost of micro-stamp technology, adding “if an individual were to acquire a micro-stamped handgun with the intent of using it in a crime, they could easily deface or replace the firing pin in order to defeat the technology.”
The California Sportsman’s Lobby also opposed the law, saying it will “substantially reduce” the number of pistols available to sports shooters to buy.
“The models currently on the roster are popular, not unsafe, and should continue to be available to sportsmen and other lawful individuals regardless of whether new models are added,” the group argued in a letter to lawmakers.
The new law’s supporters include Mattie Scott, president of Brady California United Against Gun Violence, whose son’s gun death remains unsolved more than two decades after he was shot while attending a graduation party in San Francisco.
“Micro-stamping policies could have helped to solve my son’s case,” Scott said.
The governor vetoed another gun control bill that was introduced to close a loophole identified when a 19-year-old gunman opened fire at a Poway synagogue last year.
The bill would have made it harder for people under age 21 to buy rifles by requiring gun dealers and the state Department of Justice to first confirm they had a valid hunter’s license.
Newsom wrote in his veto message that the DOJ does not currently have the technology to verify the validity of hunting licenses.
“In order to meet the requirements in this bill it would take DOJ 30 months to complete the information technology project,” Newsom wrote, adding that it would take resources away from other technology projects in the works to enforce requirements in seven previously approved gun control bills.


latimes--2020-09-30--COVID-19 outbreak spreads at Cal State Long Beach, with 17 more students infected

After locking down the campus over the weekend following a small COVID-19 outbreak among students , Cal State Long Beach officials on Tuesday announced that 17 additional undergrads have tested positive for the coronavirus .
Off-campus gatherings led to the new cases , the university said in a news release .
There are now 22 confirmed coronavirus cases among students .
School officials announced Saturday that five students had contracted the virus following social gatherings off campus earlier in the month .
As a result , 328 on-campus residents were required to quarantine , and the university paused in-person instruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Woods said in an email Wednesday that as of now , the campus has no plans to extend the temporary suspension of in-person classes .
“ As you know , we took a conservative approach to the fall semester by vastly reducing the number of students in our residence halls and the number of classes offered on campus , ” Cal State Long Beach President Jane Close Conoley wrote in “ Unfortunately , even with our proactive efforts , we need to adapt and respond to this new challenge.
” In conjunction with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system , most of Cal State Long Beach ’ s courses are already online .
Some classes — such as hospitality management , kinesiology , nursing , recreation and leisure studies , physical therapy and speech-language pathology — meet in person for “ essential learning experiences , ” according to .
Students are required to fill out a health questionnaire every day before arriving on campus , wear masks and maintain social distance .
The university asked students living off campus to self-isolate .
Some residing on campus elected to quarantine elsewhere , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students who have tested positive are staying in a separate building , officials said .
Cal State Long Beach will periodically test residential students who have tested negative , Woods said Wednesday .
“ Those who have tested positive for the illness are either asymptomatic or report mild symptoms , ” chief of medical staff Kimberly Fodran wrote in Fodran added that the university will be exploring disciplinary actions for the students “ who placed themselves and [ the Cal State Long Beach ] community at risk .
”

Students walk near Lough Memorial Fountain at Cal State Long Beach. A total of 22 people in the university community are infected with the coronavirus, officials said.
After locking down the campus over the weekend following a small COVID-19 outbreak among students, Cal State Long Beach officials on Tuesday announced that 17 additional undergrads have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Off-campus gatherings led to the new cases, the university said in a news release. There are now 22 confirmed coronavirus cases among students.
School officials announced Saturday that five students had contracted the virus following social gatherings off campus earlier in the month. As a result, 328 on-campus residents were required to quarantine, and the university paused in-person instruction for two weeks.
University spokesman Gregory Woods said in an email Wednesday that as of now, the campus has no plans to extend the temporary suspension of in-person classes.
“As you know, we took a conservative approach to the fall semester by vastly reducing the number of students in our residence halls and the number of classes offered on campus,” Cal State Long Beach President Jane Close Conoley wrote in the Saturday announcement. “Unfortunately, even with our proactive efforts, we need to adapt and respond to this new challenge.”
California Cal State universities will stay online all year amid COVID-19 pandemic The nation’s largest public university system, one of the first to decide to go virtual in fall 2020, will continue remotely in January 2021, Chancellor Timothy P. White announced.
Advertisement
In conjunction with the rest of the Cal State University system, most of Cal State Long Beach’s courses are already online.
Some classes — such as hospitality management, kinesiology, nursing, recreation and leisure studies, physical therapy and speech-language pathology — meet in person for “essential learning experiences,” according to the university website . Students are required to fill out a health questionnaire every day before arriving on campus, wear masks and maintain social distance.
The university asked students living off campus to self-isolate. Some residing on campus elected to quarantine elsewhere, leaving 206 isolating on campus. The students who have tested positive are staying in a separate building, officials said.
Cal State Long Beach will periodically test residential students who have tested negative, Woods said Wednesday.
“Those who have tested positive for the illness are either asymptomatic or report mild symptoms,” chief of medical staff Kimberly Fodran wrote in an update Tuesday.
Fodran added that the university will be exploring disciplinary actions for the students “who placed themselves and [the Cal State Long Beach] community at risk.”


latimes--2020-09-30--Deadly violence in L.A. up 15% so far this year, mirroring national trends

As Los Angeles continues to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic , economic shockwaves and protests , there is another growing problem : Homicides are up nearly 15 % over last year .
The city is hardly alone as a new national study shows that the number of killings , while still far lower than decades ago , climbed significantly in a summer that saw 20 cities ’ homicide rates jump 53 % compared with the three summer months in 2019 .
Homicides increased in places such as Atlanta and Chicago between June and August of 2020 , according to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice .
Los Angeles , which was one of the cities included in the study , has recorded 226 homicides as of Saturday , compared with 197 at the same point in 2019 .
Since June , killings are up nearly a fifth compared with the prior year , according to data .
If the numbers hold , it would mark the largest homicide increase in years .
“ We are faring a lot better than other police departments when it comes to homicides , ” said Los Angeles Police Capt .
Paul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that analyzes the city ’ s crime data .
“ Overall violent crime is down.
” Homicide detectives across Los Angeles saw a busy start to the year , with the rate of killings up more than a third before the coronavirus lockdown kept many Angelenos off the streets and many locations shuttered .
During the height of social isolation as the city tried to stem the spread of the virus , homicides were down double digits compared with 2019 .
But as the year moved on , homicides began to climb again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a period when historically far more residents are the victims of homicide .
According to the new study , the national surge in homicides and shootings occurred across all the cities examined .
“ The timing is quite compelling , ” said study author Richard Rosenfeld , a renowned criminologist and Curators ’ Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis .
But he cautions that the reasons for the increase , beyond the timing of George Floyd ’ s killing in Minneapolis in May and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear .
Rosenfeld , who authored the study with researcher Ernesto Lopez , said there are two possibilities .
One is that the pandemic caused police to alter some practices because of social distancing , making them less able to investigate , make stops or simply talk to people , which also makes it difficult to prevent retaliatory killings or disrupt a cycle of violence , he said .
The second possibility is that Floyd ’ s death and the protests hurt the perception and trust of law enforcement , Rosenfeld said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ones with the least trust of the police and most often subject to police violence .
“ So when social unrest occurs and police distrust rises , people can turn to street justice , ” he said .
Rosenfeld said rising crime followed widespread unrest over police violence , emanating from places such as Ferguson , Mo.
, and Baltimore in 2015 and 2016 .
Los Angeles , he said , was one of the places where that occurred .
In L.A. , the areas most affected by the surge in homicides are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South L.A. , historically the more violent and deadly areas .
The Rampart Division , which encompasses MacArthur Park , Westlake and near west of downtown , has seen its homicides increase from eight to 17 compared with last year .
The neighboring Olympic Division has seen the largest percentage increase ( 160 % ) , with 13 killings so far in 2020 compared with five last year .
Vernon said the brunt of the homicides are in traditionally high crime divisions , with South L.A. 's 77th Division leading the city with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
The city ’ s numbers aren ’ t on the scale of the surge in New York City , where homicides are up nearly 40 % compared with this time last year .
The researchers also found that aggravated assaults jumped by 14 % in the cities studied compared with the same period in 2019 .
By contrast , Los Angeles has seen far less of an increase in aggravated assaults , with just a 2 % uptick and a 5 % drop in overall violent crime .
But Los Angeles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including those where no one was hit , increase by nearly 14 % , and the number of people hit by bullets jump by 10 % compared with 2019 .
The number of shooting victims has long been considered the best indicator of violent crime .
The national study , however , found no overall increase in gun crimes .
Nationwide , the researchers concluded that the rates of homicide and aggravated assault increased significantly in late May and early June of 2020 , with those increases followed by declines in July and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early to tell how long those declines will last .
LAPD Chief Michel Moore earlier this month told The Times that the pandemic has helped drive gun violence and increase killings in the city this year , including by spurring economic despair and interpersonal dramas while undercutting efforts to interrupt cycles of retaliation .
Moore agreed with the researchers that social distancing had impacted efforts to quell violence .
He said pandemic-related rules barring visitors from local hospitals have prevented trained violence intervention workers from visiting the bedsides of surviving shooting victims , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emotional support , address their anger and help prevent retaliatory violence on the streets .
Several killings have unfolded at gatherings at homes because clubs and venues are out of commission under the coronavirus rules , Moore also noted .
At least two deadly shootings have occurred at homes rented for parties in the Hollywood Hills .

As Los Angeles continues to struggle with the coronavirus crisis, economic shockwaves and protests, there is another growing problem: Homicides are up nearly 15% over last year.
The city is hardly alone as a new national study shows that the number of killings, while still far lower than decades ago, climbed significantly in a summer that saw 20 cities’ homicide rates jump 53% compared with the three summer months in 2019.
Homicides increased in places such as Atlanta and Chicago during June through August of 2020, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice.
Los Angeles, which was one of the cities included in the study, has recorded 226 homicides as of Saturday, compared with 197 at the same point in 2019. Since June, killings are up nearly a fifth compared with the prior year, according to data. If the numbers hold, it would mark the largest homicide increase in years.
“We are faring a lot better than other police departments when it comes to homicides,” said Los Angeles Police Capt. Paul Vernon, who oversees the Compstat unit that analyzes the city’s crime data. “Overall violent crime is down.”
Homicide detectives across Los Angeles saw a busy start to the year, with the rate of killings up more than a third before the coronavirus lockdown kept many Angelenos off the streets and many locations shuttered.
Advertisement
During the height of social isolation as the city tried to stem the spread of the virus, homicides were down double digits compared with 2019. But as the year moved on, homicides began to climb again and surpassed 2019 levels by the summer, a period when historically far more residents are the victims of homicide.
According to the new study, the national surge in homicides and shootings occurred across all the cities examined.
“The timing is quite compelling,” said study author Richard Rosenfeld, a renowned criminologist and Curators’ Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
But he cautions that the reasons for the increase, beyond the timing of George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis in May and the subsequent protests, aren’t clear.
Rosenfeld, who authored the study with researcher Ernesto Lopez, said there are two possibilities. One is that the pandemic caused police to alter some practices because of social distancing, making them less able to investigate, make stops or simply talk to people, which also makes it difficult to prevent retaliatory killings or disrupt a cycle of violence, he said.
The second possibility is that Floyd’s death and the protests hurt the perception and trust of law enforcement, Rosenfeld said. He said high-crime communities are generally the ones with the least trust of the police and most often subject to police violence.
“So when social unrest occurs and police distrust rises, people can turn to street justice,” he said.
Rosenfeld said rising crime followed widespread unrest over police violence, emanating from places such as Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore in 2015 and 2016. Los Angeles, he said, was one of the places where that occurred.
In L.A., the areas most affected by the surge in homicides are in the city’s core and South L.A., historically the more violent and deadly areas.
The Rampart Division, which encompasses MacArthur Park, Westlake and near west of downtown, has seen its homicides increase from eight to 17 compared with last year. The neighboring Olympic Division has seen the largest percentage increase (160%), with 13 killings so far in 2020 compared with five last year.
Vernon said the brunt of the homicides is in traditionally high crime divisions, with South L.A.’s 77th Division leading the city with 39 killings, compared with 33 last year.
Advertisement
The city’s numbers aren’t on the scale of the surge in New York City, where homicides are up nearly 40% compared with this time last year.
The researchers also found that aggravated assaults jumped by 14% in the cities studied compared with the same period in 2019. By contrast, Los Angeles has seen far less of an increase in aggravated assaults, with just a 2% uptick and a 5% drop in overall violent crime.
But Los Angeles has seen the number of shootings, including those in which no one was hit, increase by nearly 14%, and the number of people hit by bullets jump by 10% compared with 2019. The number of shooting victims has long been considered the best indicator of violent crime. The national study, however, found no overall increase in gun crimes.
Nationwide, the researchers concluded that the rates of homicide and aggravated assault increased significantly in late May and early June of 2020, with those increases followed by declines in July and August. They say it is too early to tell how long those declines will last.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore earlier this month told The Times that the pandemic has helped drive gun violence and increase killings in the city this year, including by spurring economic despair and interpersonal dramas while undercutting efforts to interrupt cycles of retaliation.
Moore agreed with the researchers that social distancing had affected efforts to quell violence. He said pandemic-related rules barring visitors from local hospitals have prevented trained violence intervention workers from visiting the bedsides of surviving shooting victims, eliminating the opportunity to provide resources and emotional support, address their anger and help prevent retaliatory violence on the streets.
Several killings have unfolded at gatherings at homes because clubs and venues are out of commission under the coronavirus rules, Moore also noted. At least two deadly shootings have occurred at homes rented for parties in the Hollywood Hills.


latimes--2020-09-30--Fourth death confirmed as fires continue to torch Northern California

Another person has died as a result of the fast-moving Zogg fire burning in Shasta County , officials announced Wednesday , raising the blaze ’ s death toll to four .
The latest victim , a man who was not identified , was taken to a hospital with significant burns Sunday after the fire began , Sheriff Eric Magrini said .
“ He was transported to a hospital , and we received word last night that he succumbed to his injuries , ” Magrini said during a briefing .
“ So , again , our condolences go out to that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the unprecedented firestorm that has pummeled California this year .
Half of those victims perished in the North Complex fire , which laid waste to small mountain communities in Butte County northeast of Oroville earlier this month .
The Zogg fire has burned nearly 52,000 acres since starting Sunday afternoon near the community of Igo , about nine miles southwest of Redding .
The fire had destroyed 146 structures as of Wednesday .
That figure was unchanged from Tuesday , and crews are now reporting 7 % containment of the blaze .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ every day , ” said Sean Kavanaugh , an incident commander with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
“ There may be slow increments as we move forward.
” Reinforcements have also arrived to buttress the battle against the blaze , he said during a briefing .
As of Wednesday , there were 117 engines on the scene , up from 81 ; and 23 hand crews , up from about 12 .
The fire is still threatening more than 1,500 structures , and officials said they will be challenged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the burn area .
“ We ’ re feeling good about where we ’ re sitting , but we still have a lot of work that ’ s going to take place , ” Kavanaugh said .
“ It ’ s really going to be weather-dependent , also.
” The forecast is also top of mind for those assigned to the Glass fire in Northern California ’ s wine country .
Though crews have made progress in that firefight — reporting 2 % containment as of Wednesday — officials warned that winds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , posing a new challenge to those on the front lines .
A red flag warning will be in effect for the North Bay mountains and other areas near where the fire is burning from 1 p.m. Thursday to 6 p.m. Friday , with “ critically dry and breezy conditions ” expected , according to the National Weather Service ’ s Bay Area office .
Fire officials said they are preparing for the potentially adverse weather and warned residents to stay alert about possible updates regarding evacuations .
“ Now ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down , ” said Billy See , Cal Fire incident commander .
During a Wednesday briefing , See said , “ we ’ re looking at a very similar wind event ” as when “ this fire first started moving out three days ago.
” “ Mother Nature is something that we don ’ t try to guess , so we ’ re preparing for the worst-case scenario and we ’ re hoping for the best , ” he said .
Santa Rosa Fire Chief Tony Gossner noted that “ this wind event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone to pay attention.
” “ It ’ s very important that we keep all new fire-starts to a minimum so we can concentrate on what we ’ ve got going on now , ” he said .
The fire has charred more than 48,000 acres and has destroyed at least 80 homes — 52 in Napa County and 28 in Sonoma County .
But its rate of growth slowed markedly from Tuesday to Wednesday .
The blaze nearly quadrupled in size between Monday and Tuesday morning but grew by a comparatively low @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Though more than two dozen residences have been confirmed lost to the fire in Sonoma County , that number will almost certainly rise , according to 1st District Supervisor Susan Gorin , who toured her community Tuesday afternoon .
A firefighter told Gorin at least one neighborhood was “ completely wiped out.
” “ There are some significant areas of total devastation up and down the hills and off Highway 12 and Calistoga Road and St. Helena Road , ” she said .
“ You can clearly see where the homes have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The debris of life — a washer , dryer , sometimes patio furniture — is still standing .
For the most part , you know exactly where there was a home there and a family that loved living there.
” She took a deep breath , let out a sigh , then concluded : “ It ’ s been a pretty exhausting morning for me emotionally .
… Once again the 1st District was impacted by fire.
” Gorin lost her home to the 2017 Tubbs fire and her new home is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Sonoma County alone , the Glass fire has already caused damage to land and property totaling at least $ 8 million — without accounting for personnel costs , county Emergency Management Director Christopher Godley said Tuesday .
The blaze has also taken a toll on some of the region ’ s renowned wineries , which have already had to contend with several recent bad fire seasons as well as the coronavirus outbreak .
“ I can ’ t begin to express my frustration with these continuing wildfires around here , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Family Vineyard , a Calistoga winery devastated by the fire .
“ It ’ s very heartbreaking.
” The fire was still threatening 22,553 structures as of Wednesday morning , according to Cal Fire .
However , officials have been able to lift or reduce some evacuation orders in Napa and Sonoma counties — downgrading mandatory evacuations to warnings Tuesday for areas including Summerfield , Spring Lake and parts of the communities of Melita and Calistoga .
Evacuation orders remain in place for the hills on both sides of the northern Napa Valley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and parts of the east side of the Silverado Trail .
Such directives also remain elsewhere in Calistoga and , on Tuesday evening , authorities ordered residents to evacuate from an area west of Highway 29 , extending to the Sonoma County line and bounded by Diamond Mountain Road and Petrified Forest Road .
On Wednesday morning , a new evacuation warning was issued for all areas between Silverado Trail and Highway 29 , from Larkmead Lane to Zinfandel Lane , as well as all areas west of Highway 29 from Whitehall Lane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under near-constant siege by wildfires for nearly two months as conflagrations of historic size , intensity and destruction have ignited throughout the state .
Five of the six largest fires recorded have started since August .
While crews have largely hemmed in three of those massive blazes , two — the Creek fire in the Sierra foothills northeast of Fresno , and the August Complex fire burning in and around the Mendocino , Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers national forests — remained just under 50 % contained as of Wednesday .
At roughly 949,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than twice as large as any fire in the state ’ s modern history .
The Creek fire , at just over 305,000 acres , is the sixth-largest ever .
This year , more than 8,100 wildfires have burned in excess of 3.8 million acres statewide , according to Cal Fire .
The firestorm has “ broken almost every record there is to break , ” officials wrote on Twitter , and the state continues “ to see increased wildfire activity ” as fire season is not yet over .
While many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a fierce lightning storm , officials are still investigating the causes of others — including the Zogg and Glass fires .
Officials assigned to the Zogg fire urged residents Wednesday not to jump to conclusions or share unverified gossip about how that blaze might have ignited .
“ This is still an active fire and this is an active investigation , and these investigations take time , ” Magrini said .
“ There ’ s been a lot of speculation , a lot of rumors .
Our office has received several reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s out there .
“ Please , ” he added later in the briefing , “ do not go to your Facebook pages and listen to what has not been confirmed by any of the officials here today.
” Times staff writers Sarah Parvini , Hayley Smith and Matthew Ormseth contributed to this report .

Flames are visible from the Zogg fire on Clear Creek Road near Igo, Calif.
Another person has died as a result of the fast-moving Zogg fire burning in Shasta County, officials announced Wednesday, raising the blaze’s death toll to four.
The latest victim, a man who was not identified, was taken to a hospital with significant burns Sunday, Sheriff Eric Magrini said.
“He was transported to a hospital, and we received word last night that he succumbed to his injuries,” Magrini said during a briefing. “So, again, our condolences go out to that family.”
Thirty people have now died in the unprecedented firestorms that have pummeled California this year. Half of those victims perished in the North Complex fire, which laid waste to small mountain communities in Butte County northeast of Oroville this month.
The Zogg fire has burned more than 55,000 acres and destroyed 147 structures since igniting Sunday afternoon near the community of Igo, about nine miles southwest of Redding. The blaze is now 9% contained.
Advertisement
“We expect that containment to increase every day,” said Sean Kavanaugh, an incident commander with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “There may be slow increments as we move forward.”
Reinforcements have also arrived to buttress the battle against the blaze, he said during a briefing. As of Wednesday, 117 engines were on the scene, up from 81; and 23 hand crews, up from about 12.
The fire is still threatening more than 1,500 structures, and crews were challenged again Wednesday by hot, dry conditions in the burn area.
“We’re feeling good about where we’re sitting, but we still have a lot of work that’s going to take place,” Kavanaugh said. “It’s really going to be weather-dependent, also.”
The forecast is also top of mind for those assigned to the Glass fire in Northern California’s wine country.
Advertisement
Though crews have made progress — reporting 2% containment as of Wednesday evening — officials warned that winds are expected to pick up again this week, posing a new challenge to those on the front lines. Since igniting early Sunday, the fire has grown to cover more than 51,200 acres.
A red flag warning will be in effect for the North Bay mountains and other areas near where the fire is burning from 1 p.m. Thursday to 6 p.m. Friday, with “critically dry and breezy conditions” expected, according to the National Weather Service’s San Francisco Bay Area office.
Fire officials said they are preparing for the potentially adverse weather and warned residents to stay alert about possible updates regarding evacuations.
“Now’s the time for our firefighters to buckle down,” said Billy See, Cal Fire incident commander.
During a Wednesday briefing, See said, “we’re looking at a very similar wind event” as when “this fire first started moving out three days ago.”
“Mother Nature is something that we don’t try to guess, so we’re preparing for the worst-case scenario and we’re hoping for the best,” he said.
Santa Rosa Fire Chief Tony Gossner noted that “this wind event is going to be serious enough for everyone to pay attention.”
“It’s very important that we keep all new fire-starts to a minimum so we can concentrate on what we’ve got going on now,” he said.
The Glass fire has destroyed 36 and 107 homes in Sonoma and Napa counties, respectively. One commercial building in Sonoma and five in Napa have been razed.
In Sonoma County, those numbers will almost certainly rise, said 1st District Supervisor Susan Gorin, who toured her community Tuesday afternoon. A firefighter told Gorin at least one neighborhood was “completely wiped out.”
“There are some significant areas of total devastation up and down the hills and off Highway 12 and Calistoga Road and St. Helena Road,” she said. “You can clearly see where the homes have been burned. The ash is white. The debris of life — a washer, dryer, sometimes patio furniture — is still standing. For the most part, you know exactly where there was a home there and a family that loved living there.”
She took a deep breath, let out a sigh, then concluded: “It’s been a pretty exhausting morning for me emotionally…. Once again the 1st District was impacted by fire.”
Gorin lost her home to the 2017 Tubbs fire, and her new home is still being rebuilt, she said.
In Sonoma County alone, the Glass fire has already caused damage to land and property totaling at least $8 million — without accounting for personnel costs, county Emergency Management Director Christopher Godley said Tuesday.
The blaze has also taken a toll on some of the region’s renowned wineries, which have already had to contend with several recent bad fire seasons as well as the coronavirus outbreak.
“I can’t begin to express my frustration with these continuing wildfires around here,” said Vince Tofanelli, owner of the Tofanelli Family Vineyard, a Calistoga winery devastated by the fire. “It’s very heartbreaking.”
The fire was still threatening 26,290 structures as of Wednesday evening, according to Cal Fire.
Despite the threat, authorities have been able to lift or reduce some evacuation orders in Napa and Sonoma counties, downgrading mandatory evacuations to warnings Tuesday for areas including Summerfield, Spring Lake and parts of the communities of Melita and Calistoga.
Evacuation orders remain in place for the hills on both sides of the northern Napa Valley, flanking Calistoga and St. Helena, and parts of the east side of the Silverado Trail.
Such directives also remain elsewhere in Calistoga, and authorities ordered residents Tuesday evening to evacuate from an area west of Highway 29, extending to the Sonoma County line and bounded by Diamond Mountain Road and Petrified Forest Road.
On Wednesday morning, a new evacuation warning was issued for all areas between Silverado Trail and Highway 29, from Larkmead Lane to Zinfandel Lane, as well as all areas west of Highway 29 from Whitehall Lane to Madrona Avenue.
California has been under near-constant siege by wildfires for nearly two months as conflagrations of historic size, intensity and destruction have ignited and spread throughout the state.
Five of the six largest fires recorded in California have started since August. Though crews have largely hemmed in three of those massive blazes, two — the Creek fire in the Sierra foothills northeast of Fresno, and the August Complex fire burning in and around the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers national forests — remained just under 50% contained as of Wednesday.
At roughly 949,000 acres, the August Complex is more than twice as large as any fire in the state’s modern history. The Creek fire, at just over 307,000 acres, is the sixth-largest.
This year, more than 8,100 wildfires have burned in excess of 3.8 million acres statewide, according to Cal Fire. The fire season has “broken almost every record there is to break,” officials wrote on Twitter, and the state is likely to continue “to see increased wildfire activity.”
Though many of this year’s fires were sparked by a fierce lightning storm, officials are still investigating the causes of others, including the Glass and Zogg fires.
KTVU-TV Channel 2, a Bay Area television station, reported that Cal Fire investigators have been canvassing and examining burn patterns at a hillside vineyard near the wine country town of St. Helena. A spokesman for Cal Fire would not comment on its investigation. A spokeswoman for the owner of the vineyard, Cakebread Cellars, told the television station that the winery was “cooperating with and providing information to Cal Fire.”
Authorities overseeing the response to the Zogg fire urged residents Wednesday not to jump to conclusions or share unverified gossip about how that blaze might have ignited.
“This is still an active fire and this is an active investigation, and these investigations take time,” Magrini said. “There’s been a lot of speculation, a lot of rumors. Our office has received several reports of a lot of misinformation that’s out there.
“Please,” he added later in the briefing, “do not go to your Facebook pages and listen to what has not been confirmed by any of the officials here today.”
Times staff writers Sarah Parvini, Hayley Smith and Matthew Ormseth contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-09-30--Man charged in shooting attack on two L.A. County deputies in Compton

L.A. County Dist .
Atty .
Jackie Lacey announced charges Wednesday morning against a man in the shooting attack on two deputies at the Compton Metro station earlier this month .
Attempted murder charges were filed against Deonte Lee Murray , 36 , who was taken into custody Sept 15 after a lengthy standoff in Lynwood in connection with a separate case .
At the time , Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Murray was suspected in an armed carjacking and was not involved in the shooting .
The deputies — a 31-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man who have not been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — were shot in the face and head while sitting in their patrol car near the Compton Metro station on Sept. 12 .
They underwent surgery , and both have since been released from the hospital .
At a court appearance Wednesday , Murray pleaded not guilty to the charges .
Both his attorney , Jack Keenan , and the prosecutor , Jack Garden , asked that media requests for photographs and video footage of Murray in the courtroom be denied , citing the ongoing investigation and $ 300,000 reward for information .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this case , ” Shultz said , noting that it “ would compromise the defense , the prosecution or both ” to visually ID Murray at this time .
Keenan said Murray , who is being housed downtown at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility , has been having a difficult time in the facility .
“ He doesn ’ t get fed , his food gets thrown away , he hasn ’ t eaten today , ” he said Keenan requested that Murray be relocated elsewhere within Twin Towers , or to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nature of the victims in the case.
” The judge denied that request , but said he would order deputies to reevaluate Murray ’ s housing and address its propriety .
Bail was set at $ 6.1 million , and Murray is due back in court in November 17 .
Murray was previously charged with one felony count each of carjacking , second-degree robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm .
The charges include allegations of association with a criminal street gang , discharging a rifle inflicting great bodily injury and personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not guilty .
Capt .
Kent Wegener said Wednesday that Murray led investigators on a pursuit before his arrest , during which he threw a pistol from his car .
He said a ballistic comparison revealed that the .40 caliber pistol was the same weapon used in the attack on the deputies , and it was linked to Murray through forensic testing .
The gun was loaded with eight rounds , five rounds short of its full capacity , he said .
And five rounds were fired at the two deputies .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deonte Murray acted alone , ” Wegener said .
of the deputies was captured on surveillance video .
It shows a figure in dark clothes casually walk up a pathway near the Compton Blue Line station , approaching the parked patrol car from behind .
The person draws closer and turns to face the passenger door of the black-and-white patrol SUV , his steps quickening .
Inches from the window , he raises a gun , opens fire and runs back the way he came .
Moments later , the passenger door opens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on head .
The driver ’ s door opens soon after .
On the radio , a garbled voice mutters : “ 998 Compton Pax.
” “ Compton Pax , deputies down , ” the wounded deputy says , almost unintelligibly .
“ Compton Pax 998.
” The female deputy managed to get out of the cruiser and help her partner hide behind a concrete pillar for safety , not knowing whether the gunman was still in the area .
She applied a tourniquet to her partner ’ s arm , which was @ @

Alene Tchekmedyian, Hayley Smith, Richard Winton

Attempted murder charges have been filed against Deonte Lee Murray, 36, in the attack at the Compton Metro station earlier this month.
Nearly three weeks after a gunman opened fire on two deputies sitting in their patrol car near the Compton Metro station, sheriff’s officials announced that they had a suspect in custody.
Prosecutors filed attempted murder charges Wednesday morning against Deonte Lee Murray, 36, who was arrested Sept. 15 after a lengthy standoff in Lynwood in connection with a separate case. At the time, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Murray was suspected in an armed carjacking and was not involved in the shooting.
The deputies — a 31-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man who were identified in the new criminal complaint as Claudia Apolinar and Emmanuel Perez-Perez — were shot in the face and head at point-blank range on Sept. 12. They underwent surgery, and both have since been released from the hospital.
Advertisement
“They still face a lot of surgery, reconstructive surgery,” Villanueva said. “Fortunately they’re doing OK.”
At a court appearance Wednesday, Murray pleaded not guilty to the charges. Both his attorney, Jack Keenan, and the prosecutor, Jack Garden, asked that media requests for photographs and video footage of Murray in the courtroom be denied, citing the ongoing investigation.
Judge Michael J. Shultz agreed.
“His identity is a material issue in this case,” Shultz said, noting that it “would compromise the defense, the prosecution or both” to visually identify Murray at this time.
Keenan said Murray, who is being housed downtown at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, has been having a difficult time in the facility.
“He doesn’t get fed, his food gets thrown away, he hasn’t eaten today,” he said.
Keenan requested that Murray be relocated elsewhere within Twin Towers, or to a different facility altogether, given “the nature of the victims in the case.”
The judge denied that request, but said he would order deputies to reevaluate Murray’s housing and address its propriety. Bail was set at $6.1 million, and Murray is due back in court Nov. 17.
Murray was previously charged with one felony count each of carjacking, second-degree robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm. The charges include allegations of association with a criminal street gang, discharging a rifle inflicting great bodily injury and personal use of an AR-15. He has pleaded not guilty.
Advertisement
Those charges stemmed from a Sept. 1 incident in which he allegedly shot someone in the leg with a rifle and stole his black Mercedes-Benz sedan, said Capt. Kent Wegener. On Sept. 15, Murray led investigators on a pursuit when they tried to stop him, Wegener said. During the chase, he said, Murray threw a pistol from his car. Investigators found him hours later hiding in bushes within the search area.
Wegener said that a ballistic comparison revealed that the .40-caliber pistol was the same weapon used in the attack on the deputies, and that it was linked to Murray through forensic testing. The gun was loaded with eight rounds — five short of its full capacity, he said, and five rounds were fired at the two deputies.
“At this point, investigators believe that Deonte Murray acted alone,” Wegener said.
The day of the arrest, Villanueva had squashed speculation that Murray was linked to the shooting of the deputies. At the same time, though, the intense manhunt for the attacker largely ended. Villanueva was questioned Wednesday on what appeared to be a deliberate attempt to mislead the public, as well as on statements he made after the attack that stoked the idea that the shooting had something to do with recent protests against police brutality.
“We’re not gonna tell you everything we suspect,” Villanueva said. “We had no evidence at that time to tie him to anything else. Did we have suspicions? Yes … but we’re not gonna tell you all of our suspicions.”
He defended his prior statements related to the protests, saying brazen attacks on law enforcement have increased. “It’s part of the environment we’re in right now. It’s a scary situation in the sense that there are people that have such deep-seated hatred towards law enforcement they’re willing to just kill, unprovoked.”
Investigators, however, did not specify a motive in the attack.
The shooting of the deputies was captured on surveillance video. It shows a figure in dark clothes casually walk up a pathway near the Compton Blue Line station, approaching the parked patrol car from behind.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies block Carlin Avenue as they search for a carjacking suspect on Sept. 15 in Lynwood. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
The person draws closer and turns to face the passenger door of the black-and-white patrol SUV, his steps quickening. Inches from the window, he raises a gun, opens fire and runs back the way he came.
Moments later, the passenger door opens and a deputy stumbles out, hand on head. The driver’s door opens soon after. On the radio, a garbled voice mutters: “998 Compton Pax.”
“Compton Pax, deputies down,” the wounded deputy says, almost unintelligibly. “Compton Pax 998.”
The female deputy, managed to get out of the cruiser and help her partner hide behind a concrete pillar for safety, not knowing whether the gunman was still in the area.
She applied a tourniquet to her partner’s arm, which was bleeding.


latimes--2020-09-30--San Francisco reopens indoor dining with coronavirus restrictions

San Francisco is opening restaurants Wednesday for limited , indoor dining and allowing people at reduced capacity inside places of worship , Mayor London Breed announced .
City officials said indoor movie theaters could reopen with restrictions Oct. 7 , and outdoor playgrounds were slated to be open by mid-October .
“ We know this continues to be a challenging time with people struggling economically and emotionally , ” Breed said in a written statement .
“ However , thanks to San Francisco ’ s commitment to following public health guidance , we are seeing improvements in our numbers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward with reopening.
” San Francisco has a daily average of 5.9 new COVID-19 cases for every 100,000 residents , a number that places the city ’ s risk in the moderate range .
Hospitalizations have been declining , and the city ’ s contact tracers have been reaching 85 % of people who were in contact with an infected person .
Indoor dining will be limited to 25 % capacity , up to 100 people .
Patrons must wear face coverings except when eating or drinking and whenever a server approaches a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen at 25 % capacity , with up to 100 people , with face coverings required .
Singing or chanting will not be permitted because singing indoors is known to spread the coronavirus .
So far , the city has given permission for 20 schools to reopen for in-person instruction and continues to review applications from others .
Elementary schools are reopening first .
“ Our actions to limit the spread of the virus continue to pay off , ” said Dr. Grant Colfax , director of public health .
“ Since we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 , we have kept a steady and gradual pace of reopening — from after-school programs and in-classroom learning to indoor personal services and restaurants.
” He urged residents to wear masks , physically distance and wash their hands frequently .
San Francisco is now in Tier 3 — the orange tier — which indicates the spread of infection is moderate .

Employees at the Barrel Room set tables up over markings on the ground for social distancing outside of the restaurant in San Francisco on July 14. San Francisco will open restaurants Wednesday for limited, indoor dining.
San Francisco is opening restaurants Wednesday for limited, indoor dining and allowing people at reduced capacity inside places of worship, Mayor London Breed announced.
City officials said indoor movie theaters could reopen with restrictions Oct. 7, and outdoor playgrounds were slated to be open by mid-October.
“We know this continues to be a challenging time with people struggling economically and emotionally,” Breed said in a written statement.
Advertisement
“However, thanks to San Francisco’s commitment to following public health guidance, we are seeing improvements in our numbers, which means we can continue to move forward with reopening.”
San Francisco has a daily average of 5.9 new COVID-19 cases for every 100,000 residents, a number that places the city’s risk in the moderate range. Hospitalizations have been declining, and the city’s contact tracers have been reaching 85% of people who were in contact with an infected person.
Wesley Thomas works out at Fitness SF Transbay in San Francisco earlier this month. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)
Indoor dining will be limited to 25% capacity, up to 100 people. Patrons must wear face coverings except when eating or drinking and whenever a server approaches a table.
Places of worship can also reopen at 25% capacity, with up to 100 people, with face coverings required. Singing or chanting will not be permitted because singing indoors is known to spread the coronavirus.
California L.A. County to reopen breweries, wineries and card rooms outdoors The Board of Supervisors voted 3 to 2 to approve a motion allowing additional sectors of the economy to reopen after months of closures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
So far, the city has given permission for 20 schools to reopen for in-person instruction and continues to review applications from others. Elementary schools are reopening first.
Advertisement
“Our actions to limit the spread of the virus continue to pay off,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of public health. “Since we came off the state watch list Sept. 1, we have kept a steady and gradual pace of reopening — from after-school programs and in-classroom learning to indoor personal services and restaurants.”
He urged residents to wear masks, physically distance and wash their hands frequently.
San Francisco is now in Tier 3 — the orange tier — which indicates the spread of infection is moderate.