latimes--2020-03-04--L.A. County supervisors want answers to widespread voting problems

Inadequate staffing , poor communications and balky technology turned election day in Los Angeles County into an anxious quagmire for many voters , whose complaints triggered calls Wednesday by one member of the Board of Supervisors for a “ forensic autopsy ” on what went wrong .
Voters reported waiting four hours and longer in some locations to cast their ballots .
Some bounced from one polling place to the next , searching in vain for shorter lines .
At one polling station , a worker said she wept in frustration while desperate voters scratched out their choices on write-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not speak .
“ This is a disgrace , ” one voter , who did not leave a name , complained to The Times .
He added that the electronic check-in system was “ nothing but an unholy mess.
” The messy outcome was a painful comedown for the county supervisors and elections chief Dean Logan , who invested $ 300 million in the effort after prior elections left votes uncounted and voters missing from the official rolls .
Officials had pledged that the electronic Voting Solutions for All People , or VSAP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transparent and more secure .
They expressed no serious reservations before Tuesday ’ s election , which included state and local races and the presidential primary .
Supervisor Janice Hahn introduced a motion at a Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday ordering voting officials to report back within 45 days on the excessive wait times and staffing and technical problems .
The motion also demands that officials come up with ways to solve the voting problems before the Nov. 3 general election .
The board is expected to vote on Hahn ’ s motion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting , the supervisors acknowledged the polling center problems but also suggested there were issues because many people voted on the same day .
“ Many , many things went well ; I wish more people had voted before yesterday , ” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl .
“ It took me six minutes on Sunday.
” “ It was a new system , yes .
We spent a lot of money on it , ” Hahn said Wednesday .
“ But I really want to get to the bottom of some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they are fixable , of course , before November.
” It was unclear how much voter turnout affected the breakdowns .
The county reported Wednesday morning that it had counted 1,137,023 ballots , or 20.62 % of the county ’ s eligible registered voters .
Of the total , 485,631 were vote-by-mail ballots , and 651,392 were cast at voting centers .
But an untold number of ballots remained to be tallied , and county vote tabulations sometimes drag on for a week or more .
New vote centers that opened 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a revamped system that consolidated roughly 4,500 voting locations into 978 vote centers in neighborhoods stretching from Lancaster to Long Beach .
Logan , the county registrar-recorder and clerk , acknowledged that the flow of voters overwhelmed vote centers in high-density areas such as downtown Los Angeles .
“ Those locations were too small , and we didn ’ t have enough people to support them , ” Logan told The Times .
“ The volume began to spin and there just wasn ’ t a way to catch up.
” Late on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also may have overestimated how many voters would use a new early voting period .
“ That resulted in a significant amount of voters turning out on election day , ” he said .
Complaints from voters and poll workers centered on two choke points in the new system .
The first came when voters tried to check in .
Poll workers used electronic tablets to look up voter registration information , but as crowds swelled , the devices , called ePollbooks , stalled in attempts to sync with the county ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the syncing thing in training , ” said Daniel Thwing , a worker at one west San Fernando Valley vote center .
“ The bottleneck was the sign-up [ tablets ] .
Key presses wouldn ’ t do anything and then suddenly they would load everything all at once.
” Emily Dibiny , a worker at a center east of UCLA , said that even voters who brought in registration paperwork , complete with computer QR codes , did not appear in the electronic voter rolls .
“ The scanner couldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Dibiny , who first lodged her complaints on Twitter .
“ We had to register people as new voters even though they lived at the same address for years , even if they voted in 2018.
” When registration could not be confirmed , voters were told they would have to cast provisional ballots , uncounted until a postelection check of the voter ’ s eligibility .
Some voters and poll workers said the problems seemed exacerbated because poll workers lacked technical savvy .
Thwing , a computer science major at Pierce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to use the tablets to sign in voters .
But he said some older workers struggled during an eight-hour training .
“ It was going to be the blind leading the blind , ” said Thwing , 22 .
The second bottleneck occurred when voters tried to finish voting .
Many did not understand that they had to get the touch-screen computer to print out a ballot , reinsert it into the machine after verifying selections and then press a final button to cast the ballot .
Thinking they had cast their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the machines prematurely .
By the time election workers chased them down , the machines might have been taken over by another voter .
That led to further delays for voters who couldn ’ t submit their printout and instead had to cast provisional ballots .
The county ’ s election plan was unlike any other in California when it came to worst-case scenarios .
While other counties deployed backup ballot printers , Los Angeles used only the touch-screen machines for printouts .
In January , Secretary of State Alex Padilla insisted on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan before the new system would be cleared for use .
Among the changes — which included hardware changes to reduce paper jams and better security seals on ballot boxes — was a last-resort method for voters to cast a ballot if the machines failed .
L.A. County ’ s alternative required voters to write in the name of the candidate or ballot measure choice in every race .
At the Warner Avenue Elementary School vote center in Westwood , voters became so frustrated that they tore open a box of the write-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ran out of the ballots in English and people were taking them in Spanish and Chinese and Farsi , even if they didn ’ t speak that language , ” said Dibiny , a voice-over actress .
“ They weren ’ t going to wait for four hours .
They just wanted to vote.
” Poll workers said they were badly outnumbered .
Holly Gunderson described her 18-hour shift at the Hollywood Hotel as “ gnarly ” — only four people staffed the vote center , far fewer than the 10 poll workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the West Valley , Thwing said a dozen workers were expected at his location , but only four showed up .
The stress mounted through the day .
Dibiny arrived before 6 a.m. and worked past 10 p.m .
Sympathetic voters brought cookies and granola bars to provide poll workers sustenance .
But a pizza delivered for the workers was gobbled up by hungry voters .
Not all voters were sympathetic .
“ People were yelling at me , ” said Dibiny , 49 .
“ I was exhausted .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no stranger to election snafus .
In 2000 , thousands of voters complained that they never got absentee ballots they applied for .
In 2008 , about 100,000 nonpartisan voters had their presidential primary ballots voided because a confusing ballot design caused many to neglect marking an extra bubble .
In 2016 , the county moved to early voting , only to see voters respond with such enthusiasm that some waited up to four hours at half a dozen polling places set up the weekend before election day .
And in 2018 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rosters when the county ’ s election software was unable to process a formatting change in state voter data .
The county had a trial run of the new electronic voting system in a local and municipal election in November , which revealed paper jams and other glitches .
Logan and his staff reported to the Board of Supervisors in December that the printers had been recalibrated : “ The pilot [ program ] assisted the department in identifying and resolving issues that would not have been identified otherwise .
”

James Rainey, John Myers, Dakota Smith, Benjamin Oreskes

Inadequate staffing, poor communications and balky technology turned election day in Los Angeles County into an anxious quagmire for many voters, whose complaints triggered calls Wednesday by one member of the Board of Supervisors for a “forensic autopsy” on what went wrong.
Voters reported waiting four hours and longer in some locations to cast their ballots. Some bounced from one polling place to the next, searching in vain for shorter lines. At one polling station, a worker said she wept in frustration while desperate voters scratched out their choices on write-in ballots — written in languages they did not speak.
“This is a disgrace,” one voter, who did not leave a name, complained to The Times. He added that the electronic check-in system was “nothing but an unholy mess.”
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The messy outcome was a painful comedown for the county supervisors and elections chief Dean Logan, who invested $300 million in the effort after prior elections left votes uncounted and voters missing from the official rolls.
Voters in Manhattan Beach wait in line to vote Tuesday at Marine Avenue Park. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Officials had pledged that the electronic Voting Solutions for All People, or VSAP, system would be easier, more transparent and more secure. They expressed no serious reservations before Tuesday’s election, which included state and local races and the presidential primary.
Supervisor Janice Hahn introduced a motion at a Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday ordering voting officials to report back within 45 days on the excessive wait times and staffing and technical problems. The motion also demands that officials come up with ways to solve the voting problems before the Nov. 3 general election.
The board is expected to vote on Hahn’s motion next week. At Wednesday’s meeting, the supervisors acknowledged the polling center problems but also suggested there were issues because many people voted on the same day.
“Many, many things went well; I wish more people had voted before yesterday,” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. “It took me six minutes on Sunday.”
“It was a new system, yes. We spent a lot of money on it,” Hahn said Wednesday. “But I really want to get to the bottom of some of the problems that did happen yesterday and see if they are fixable, of course, before November.”
It was unclear how much voter turnout affected the breakdowns. The county reported Wednesday morning that it had counted 1,137,023 ballots, or 20.62% of the county’s eligible registered voters. Of the total, 485,631 were vote-by-mail ballots, and 651,392 were cast at voting centers. But an untold number of ballots remained to be tallied, and county vote tabulations sometimes drag on for a week or more.
New vote centers that opened 10 days before election day were part of a revamped system that consolidated roughly 4,500 voting locations into 978 vote centers in neighborhoods stretching from Lancaster to Long Beach. Logan, the county registrar-recorder and clerk, acknowledged that the flow of voters overwhelmed vote centers in high-density areas such as downtown Los Angeles.
“Those locations were too small, and we didn’t have enough people to support them,” Logan told The Times. “The volume began to spin and there just wasn’t a way to catch up.”
Late on election night, Logan said the county also may have overestimated how many voters would use a new early voting period.
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“That resulted in a significant amount of voters turning out on election day,” he said.
Complaints from voters and poll workers centered on two choke points in the new system.
The first came when voters tried to check in. Poll workers used electronic tablets to look up voter registration information, but as crowds swelled, the devices, called ePollbooks, stalled in attempts to sync with the county’s voter database.
“They never mentioned the syncing thing in training,” said Daniel Thwing, a worker at one west San Fernando Valley vote center. “The bottleneck was the sign-up [tablets]. Key presses wouldn’t do anything and then suddenly they would load everything all at once.”
Emily Dibiny, a worker at a center east of UCLA, said that even voters who brought in registration paperwork, complete with computer QR codes, did not appear in the electronic voter rolls.
“The scanner couldn’t read their registered personal info,” said Dibiny, who first lodged her complaints on Twitter. “We had to register people as new voters even though they lived at the same address for years, even if they voted in 2018.”
When registration could not be confirmed, voters were told they would have to cast provisional ballots, uncounted until a postelection check of the voter’s eligibility.
Some voters and poll workers said the problems seemed exacerbated because poll workers lacked technical savvy. Thwing, a computer science major at Pierce College, said he quickly figured out how to use the tablets to sign in voters. But he said some older workers struggled during an eight-hour training.
“It was going to be the blind leading the blind,” said Thwing, 22.
The second bottleneck occurred when voters tried to finish voting. Many did not understand that they had to get the touch-screen computer to print out a ballot, reinsert it into the machine after verifying selections and then press a final button to cast the ballot.
Thinking they had cast their votes, many voters walked away from the machines prematurely. By the time election workers chased them down, the machines might have been taken over by another voter. That led to further delays for voters who couldn’t submit their printout and instead had to cast provisional ballots.
The county’s election plan was unlike any other in California when it came to worst-case scenarios. While other counties deployed backup ballot printers, Los Angeles used only the touch-screen machines for printouts.
In January, Secretary of State Alex Padilla insisted on changes in L.A. County’s election plan before the new system would be cleared for use. Among the changes — which included hardware changes to reduce paper jams and better security seals on ballot boxes — was a last-resort method for voters to cast a ballot if the machines failed.
L.A. County’s alternative required voters to write in the name of the candidate or ballot measure choice in every race.
At the Warner Avenue Elementary School vote center in Westwood, voters became so frustrated that they tore open a box of the write-in forms, Dibiny said.
“We ran out of the ballots in English and people were taking them in Spanish and Chinese and Farsi, even if they didn’t speak that language,” said Dibiny, a voice-over actress. “They weren’t going to wait for four hours. They just wanted to vote.”
Poll workers said they were badly outnumbered. Holly Gunderson described her 18-hour shift at the Hollywood Hotel as “gnarly” — only four people staffed the vote center, far fewer than the 10 poll workers who had been promised during her training. In the West Valley, Thwing said a dozen workers were expected at his location, but only four showed up.
The stress mounted through the day.
Dibiny arrived before 6 a.m. and worked past 10 p.m. Sympathetic voters brought cookies and granola bars to provide poll workers sustenance. But a pizza delivered for the workers was gobbled up by hungry voters.
Not all voters were sympathetic.
“People were yelling at me,” said Dibiny, 49. “I was exhausted. I was crying.”
Los Angeles County is no stranger to election snafus. In 2000, thousands of voters complained that they never got absentee ballots they applied for. In 2008, about 100,000 nonpartisan voters had their presidential primary ballots voided because a confusing ballot design caused many to neglect marking an extra bubble.
In 2016, the county moved to early voting, only to see voters respond with such enthusiasm that some waited up to four hours at half a dozen polling places set up the weekend before election day. And in 2018, 118,500 names were omitted from the eligible-voter rosters when the county’s election software was unable to process a formatting change in state voter data.
The county had a trial run of the new electronic voting system in a local and municipal election in November, which revealed paper jams and other glitches. Logan and his staff reported to the Board of Supervisors in December that the printers had been recalibrated: “The pilot [program] assisted the department in identifying and resolving issues that would not have been identified otherwise.”


latimes--2020-03-04--California declares coronavirus emergency amid worries over Grand Princess cruise ship passengers

Gov .
Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the novel coronavirus after a California man died after falling ill with the virus while on a cruise ship .
Officials are trying to locate hundreds of other Californians who disembarked from the Grand Princess ship in San Francisco last month after a trip to Mexico .
Officials want to determine whether they also might have contracted the virus .
That same ship , after a subsequent trip to Hawaii , canceled its stop in Baja California and was scheduled to return early to San Francisco on Wednesday , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so public health officials could screen everyone onboard , the governor said .
The virus has now been reported in 12 counties in the state and has sickened more than 50 people .
Newsom said he felt confident that the state could prevent the virus from being spread by passengers of 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their contact information and begin a process to contact those individuals.
” Newsom said his emergency declaration is intended to help California prepare for and contain the spread of the coronavirus by allowing state agencies to more easily procure equipment and services , share information on patients and alleviate restrictions on the use of state-owned properties and facilities .
“ This proclamation , I want to point out , is not about money , ” Newsom said of the emergency declaration .
“ It ’ s about resourcefulness .
It ’ s about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tool kit.
” Placer County public health officials announced that patient who had tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a cruise to Mexico last month died .
The individual , later identified as a 71-year-old Rocklin resident , had underlying health conditions and was the county ’ s second confirmed case of COVID-19 , reported Tuesday night .
Officials said close contacts of the patient were being quarantined and monitored for the illness .
The person ’ s likely exposure occurred during travel on a Princess Cruises ship that departed Feb. 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , returning Feb. 21 , officials said .
The patient tested positive Tuesday and had been placed in isolation at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center .
The person probably had minimal community exposure between returning from the cruise and arriving at the hospital by ambulance Thursday , health officials said .
Ten Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers and five emergency responders , who were exposed before the patient was put in isolation , are now in quarantine .
None of those 15 workers is exhibiting symptoms , officials said .
It ’ s possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exposed , officials said .
Placer County Public Health is working closely with Sacramento County Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify and contact other cruise passengers .
By one estimate , more than 50 % of the roughly 2,500 passengers who traveled from San Francisco to Mexico and back on the cruise ship with the Placer County victim are Californians , Newsom said .
“ We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of this patient , ” Placer County health officer Dr. Aimee Sisson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more cases , this death is an unfortunate milestone in our efforts to fight this disease , and one that we never wanted to see .
“ While most cases of COVID-19 exhibit mild or moderate symptoms , this tragic death underscores the urgent need for us to take extra steps to protect residents who are particularly vulnerable to developing more serious illness , including elderly persons and those with underlying health conditions.
” Sisson said the resident first developed symptoms while on the cruise and continued to show symptoms while traveling through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individual called 911 and was taken to the hospital Thursday , then tested for COVID-19 on Sunday .
The results returned positive Tuesday , and the patient died Wednesday morning , Sisson said .
Placer County has six pending tests for COVID-19 , and Sisson said she expects to see cases of community transmission soon .
“ I urge Placer County residents to be vigilant and to take steps to protect themselves , ” Sisson said .
“ Wash your hands .
Wash your hands .
Wash your hands… .
We are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ canceling events , closing schools or requiring widespread distancing measures , but we do want the public to prepare for that possibility.
” Sisson recommended that residents have two weeks of supplies on hand in case they are asked to quarantine .
Rocklin Fire Chief Bill Hack said emergency responders are wearing protective masks and goggles when responding to 911 calls until it is clear whether a person has respiratory symptoms that could indicate COVID-19 .
Three of the five emergency responders who have been quarantined related to the Placer County death are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re obviously being hyper-vigilant that if they start to become symptomatic they know what to look for and they know what steps to take , ” Hack said .
“ They ’ re in good spirits at this point.
” Placer County is requesting that any other individuals who were on the Grand Princess cruise to Mexico self-quarantine .
Princess Cruises said it was notified by the CDC that it is investigating a small cluster of cases in Northern California among guests who sailed on the Grand Princess Mexican voyage .
The company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ onboard for the trip to Hawaii that was returning to San Francisco after canceling its stop in Ensenada , Mexico .
Eleven passengers and 10 crew members on the boat were showing symptoms Wednesday , the governor said .
“ That number may significantly understate ” the scope of infection , he said , or “ it may indeed be abundance of caution.
” The state will contact every county health official with passengers in their area by Wednesday night , he said .
Newsom addressed the death shortly after the announcement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this death in Placer County , ” he said in a statement .
“ The state is working with federal officials to follow up on contact tracing of individuals that may have been exposed to provide treatment and protect public health .
“ This case demonstrates the need for continued local , state and federal partnership to identify and slow the spread of this virus .
California is working around the clock to keep our communities safe , healthy and informed.
” Newsom previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million available for the state to respond to the coronavirus and announced the California Department of Public Health is dipping into its reserves of millions of N95 masks to distribute to healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus fights .
Newsom said Wednesday that a coronavirus lab test is now considered an essential benefit covered by government-sponsored health plans and private insurers .
The governor added he is also extending price gouging protections in response to Amazon vendors ’ taking advantage of people seeking hand sanitizer and other in-demand goods .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a health emergency Wednesday as the number of coronavirus cases in the county increased to seven , including six new patients .
None of the new cases are believed to be “ community spread , '' officials said .
All individuals were exposed to COVID-19 through close contacts with others who were infected .
The additional cases were confirmed Tuesday night .
Officials said three of the new cases were travelers who had visited northern Italy , two were family members who had close contact with a person outside of the county who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job that put them in contact with travelers .
One patient has been hospitalized , and the others are isolated at home .
Additionally , the cities of Pasadena and Long Beach are declaring public health emergencies related to the novel coronavirus .
There are currently no confirmed cases of the virus in either city .
The county ’ s move comes as the government has increased testing , which officials have warned will result in the identification of a significant number of new cases .
L.A. joins a growing number of California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is designed to better marshal resources from across government agencies and give the fight against the virus more focus .
“ I want to reiterate this is not a response rooted in panic , ” L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a news briefing .
“ We need every tool at our disposal.
” Supervisor Hilda Solis acknowledged the ongoing spread of misinformation about the virus and xenophobia toward Asian communities .
“ There ’ s been too much misinformation spreading around , ” Solis said .
“ As we expected , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to racial profiling.
” Los Angeles County will increase its capacity for testing of the virus at its public health laboratory .
Officials will begin daily radio briefings for the public , post new guidelines for schools and colleges , and over the next week will send “ technical assistance teams ” to make site visits to temporary housing facilities including homeless shelters .
Officials urged the public to frequently wash their hands , opt for verbal salutations in place of hugs and handshakes and try to maintain a distance of six feet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be prepared .
We have to protect the well-being of our loved ones and our neighbors , ” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said .
Officials said they had tested more than two dozen people for COVID-19 before these recent test results came back positive and reiterated that there had been no sign of community spread in the county .
“ I want to reassure everyone — we are not there today , ” L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said .
A screener of incoming flights from China and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is among the new cases that have tested positive for coronavirus in L.A. County , according to two sources familiar with the report .
The screener , who is attached to the CDC , last worked Feb. 21 at LAX and , after developing potential symptoms , alerted medical professionals and authorities .
The person was formally identified Tuesday as having the COVID-19 virus and so far has a mild case and is isolated at home .
Family members of the person have also been tested , according to one of the sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done to change intake at the airport .
Sources say the person was wearing protective clothing during the screening process .
Marin County health officials Tuesday declared a local health emergency despite there being no cases of coronavirus reported among county residents .
San Francisco , which has no reported cases , and Orange County , which has three cases , declared health emergencies last week .
The move comes amid more sobering news about the spread of the virus in the United States , including nine deaths in Washington state , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York City and a warning that more cases are on the horizon .
“ I want them to be prepared for the reality that they , there are going to be more cases in the community , ” said Dr. Robert Redfield , director of the CDC .
“ But I want them to continue their daily lives .
I want them to be mindful of the opportunity again to prepare themselves and their families.
” The World Health Organization announced Tuesday that the global mortality rate from coronavirus had risen to 3.4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The death rate so far is many times higher than the mortality rate of the seasonal flu , which is 0.1 % .
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that is at least partly because COVID-19 is a new disease , and no one has built up an immunity to it .
Still , he and other health officials said there was still time to slow the spread of the virus .
Officials say they have learned the coronavirus is less transmissible than the flu , which is often spread by people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have symptoms .
That doesn ’ t seem to be the case for COVID-19 , he said .
“ There are not yet any vaccines or therapeutics … which is why we must do everything we can to contain it , ” Tedros said .
Earlier reports had pointed to a mortality rate of about 2 % for COVID-19 .
Experts say they suspect all analyses so far have overestimated the disease ’ s fatality rate because milder cases are largely not being diagnosed .
In 80 % of people , the disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More than 50 people in California have the virus , with new cases reported in Berkeley and Santa Clara , Placer and Orange counties .
Kaiser Permanente announced late Tuesday it was treating a patient in Los Angeles .
The city of Berkeley said its case involved an individual who visited a country with an outbreak .
That person has remained at home in a self-imposed quarantine since returning .
“ While the risk of infection remains low , the expanded presence of the virus in our community is a reality we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Berkeley ’ s public health officer , Dr. Lisa Hernandez .
“ There are steps that all of us in the community can take now to improve basic hygiene and also prepare for a wider spread in the future.
” In Orange County , two cases are pending confirmation from the CDC .
The cases involve a man in his 60s and a woman in her 30s who had both recently traveled to countries with widespread transmission , according to the Orange County Health Care Agency .
Santa Clara County announced three more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total count there to 14 — the highest number of cases in the sate .
One is a man who ’ s currently hospitalized .
The source of his exposure to the virus is currently under investigation .
Two other men are close contacts of an existing case .
California is also speeding up testing of possible coronavirus patients .
This more aggressive testing , Newsom said , “ may lead to a more rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases reported .
That is not necessarily a sign that the rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our ability to test more people more rapidly is leading to better detection.
” Dr. Mike Ryan , who runs WHO ‘ s emergencies program , pushed back against officials who wanted to “ wave the white flag ” and surrender to the disease ’ s hold .
China took drastic steps to fight the virus , he said , and case numbers are now on the decline there .
Countries such as China and South Korea “ implemented very , very strong measures that have affected their own economies and their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s really a duty of others to use the time that has been bought .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , said there remained many unknowns about the virus , including the degree to which people who do not express symptoms can transmit it to others .
He said doctors know that it happens but have not yet gauged the extent , a key piece of data that will help determine decisions on how to contain it .
Fauci said that Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the spread of the virus there is slowing thanks to “ draconian ” methods that would never occur in the United States , including stringent travel and public gathering restrictions .
“ They have taken social distancing to its furthest extreme , ” he said .
Times staff writers Noah Bierman , Rong-Gong Lin II , Hannah Fry , Taryn Luna , Phil Willon , Richard Winton and Melody Gutierrez contributed to this report .

Soumya Karlamangla, Colleen Shalby, Taryn Luna, Melody Gutierrez

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the novel coronavirus after a California man died after falling ill with the virus while on a cruise ship.
Officials are trying to locate hundreds of other Californians who disembarked from the Grand Princess ship in San Francisco last month after a trip to Mexico. Officials want to determine whether they also might have contracted the virus.
That same ship, after a subsequent trip to Hawaii, canceled its stop in Baja California and was scheduled to return early to San Francisco on Wednesday, but it was being held off the coast so public health officials could screen everyone onboard, the governor said.
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Some passengers on the vessel — both current and those exposed earlier — told The Times the response by the company and health officials has been filled with missteps. In particular, passengers interviewed by the Times said the company, 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.
The virus has now been reported in 12 counties in the state and has sickened more than 50 people.
Newsom said he felt confident that the state could prevent the virus from being spread by passengers of 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.”
Newsom said his emergency declaration is intended to help California prepare for and contain the spread of the coronavirus by allowing state agencies to more easily procure equipment and services, share information on patients and alleviate restrictions on the use of state-owned properties and facilities.
“This proclamation, I want to point out, is not about money,” Newsom said of the emergency declaration. “It’s about resourcefulness. It’s about our ability to add tools to the tool kit.”
Placer County public health officials announced that patient who had tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a cruise to Mexico last month died. The individual, later identified as a 71-year-old Rocklin resident, had underlying health conditions and was the county’s second confirmed case of COVID-19, reported Tuesday night. Officials said close contacts of the patient were being quarantined and monitored for the illness.
The person’s likely exposure occurred during travel on a Princess Cruises ship that departed Feb. 10 from San Francisco and sailed to Mexico, returning Feb. 21, officials said.
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The patient tested positive Tuesday and had been placed in isolation at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center.
The person probably had minimal community exposure between returning from the cruise and arriving at the hospital by ambulance Thursday, health officials said. Ten Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers and five emergency responders, who were exposed before the patient was put in isolation, are now in quarantine.
None of those 15 workers is exhibiting symptoms, officials said.
It’s possible that other cruise passengers may have been exposed, officials said. Placer County Public Health is working closely with Sacramento County Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify and contact other cruise passengers.
By one estimate, more than 50% of the roughly 2,500 passengers who traveled from San Francisco to Mexico and back on the cruise ship with the Placer County victim are Californians, Newsom said.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of this patient,” Placer County health officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said. “While we have expected more cases, this death is an unfortunate milestone in our efforts to fight this disease, and one that we never wanted to see.
“While most cases of COVID-19 exhibit mild or moderate symptoms, this tragic death underscores the urgent need for us to take extra steps to protect residents who are particularly vulnerable to developing more serious illness, including elderly persons and those with underlying health conditions.”
Sisson said the resident first developed symptoms while on the cruise and continued to show symptoms while traveling through the Port of San Francisco.
The individual called 911 and was taken to the hospital Thursday, then tested for COVID-19 on Sunday. The results returned positive Tuesday, and the patient died Wednesday morning, Sisson said.
Placer County has six pending tests for COVID-19, and Sisson said she expects to see cases of community transmission soon.
“I urge Placer County residents to be vigilant and to take steps to protect themselves,” Sisson said. “Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands…. We are not at the point where I would consider canceling events, closing schools or requiring widespread distancing measures, but we do want the public to prepare for that possibility.”
Sisson recommended that residents have two weeks of supplies on hand in case they are asked to quarantine.
Rocklin Fire Chief Bill Hack said emergency responders are wearing protective masks and goggles when responding to 911 calls until it is clear whether a person has respiratory symptoms that could indicate COVID-19. Three of the five emergency responders who have been quarantined related to the Placer County death are Rocklin city firefighters.
“They’re obviously being hyper-vigilant that if they start to become symptomatic they know what to look for and they know what steps to take,” Hack said. “They’re in good spirits at this point.”
Placer County is requesting that any other individuals who were on the Grand Princess cruise to Mexico self-quarantine.
Princess Cruises said it was notified by the CDC that it is investigating a small cluster of cases in Northern California among guests who sailed on the Grand Princess Mexican voyage.
The next voyage on the boat was canceled.
The company said 62 guests on that voyage remain onboard for the trip to Hawaii that was returning to San Francisco after canceling its stop in Ensenada, Mexico.
Eleven passengers and 10 crew members on the boat were showing symptoms Wednesday, the governor said. “That number may significantly understate” the scope of infection, he said, or “it may indeed be abundance of caution.”
The state will contact every county health official with passengers in their area by Wednesday night, he said.
Newsom addressed the death shortly after the announcement.
“Jennifer and I extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this death in Placer County,” he said in a statement. “The state is working with federal officials to follow up on contact tracing of individuals that may have been exposed to provide treatment and protect public health.
“This case demonstrates the need for continued local, state and federal partnership to identify and slow the spread of this virus. California is working around the clock to keep our communities safe, healthy and informed.”
Newsom previously requested that the Legislature make $20 million available for the state to respond to the coronavirus and announced the California Department of Public Health is dipping into its reserves of millions of N95 masks to distribute to healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus fights.
Newsom said Wednesday that a coronavirus lab test is now considered an essential benefit covered by government-sponsored health plans and private insurers. The governor added he is also extending price gouging protections in response to Amazon vendors’ taking advantage of people seeking hand sanitizer and other in-demand goods.
Los Angeles County, meanwhile, declared a health emergency Wednesday as the number of coronavirus cases in the county increased to seven, including six new patients.
None of the new cases are believed to be “community spread,”officials said. All individuals were exposed to COVID-19 through close contacts with others who were infected.
The additional cases were confirmed Tuesday night. Officials said three of the new cases were travelers who had visited northern Italy, two were family members who had close contact with a person outside of the county who was infected, and one had a job that put them in contact with travelers.
One patient has been hospitalized, and the others are isolated at home.
Additionally, the cities of Pasadena and Long Beach are declaring public health emergencies related to the novel coronavirus. There are currently no confirmed cases of the virus in either city.
The county’s move comes as the government has increased testing, which officials have warned will result in the identification of a significant number of new cases.
L.A. joins a growing number of California jurisdictions to take health-emergency action, which is designed to better marshal resources from across government agencies and give the fight against the virus more focus.
“I want to reiterate this is not a response rooted in panic,” L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a news briefing. “We need every tool at our disposal.”
Supervisor Hilda Solis acknowledged the ongoing spread of misinformation about the virus and xenophobia toward Asian communities.
“There’s been too much misinformation spreading around,” Solis said. “As we expected, it’s cultivating fears and leading to racial profiling.”
Los Angeles County will increase its capacity for testing of the virus at its public health laboratory. Officials will begin daily radio briefings for the public, post new guidelines for schools and colleges, and over the next week will send “technical assistance teams” to make site visits to temporary housing facilities including homeless shelters.
Officials urged the public to frequently wash their hands, opt for verbal salutations in place of hugs and handshakes and try to maintain a distance of six feet from strangers.
“We have to be prepared. We have to protect the well-being of our loved ones and our neighbors,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
Officials said they had tested more than two dozen people for COVID-19 before these recent test results came back positive and reiterated that there had been no sign of community spread in the county.
“I want to reassure everyone — we are not there today,” L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.
A screener of incoming flights from China and surrounding countries at Los Angeles International Airport is among the new cases that have tested positive for coronavirus in L.A. County, according to two sources familiar with the report.
The screener, who is attached to the CDC, last worked Feb. 21 at LAX and, after developing potential symptoms, alerted medical professionals and authorities. The person was formally identified Tuesday as having the COVID-19 virus and so far has a mild case and is isolated at home.
Family members of the person have also been tested, according to one of the sources. So far, nothing has been done to change intake at the airport. Sources say the person was wearing protective clothing during the screening process.
Marin County health officials Tuesday declared a local health emergency despite there being no cases of coronavirus reported among county residents. San Francisco, which has no reported cases, and Orange County, which has three cases, declared health emergencies last week.
The move comes amid more sobering news about the spread of the virus in the United States, including nine deaths in Washington state, a new quarantine in the suburbs of New York City and a warning that more cases are on the horizon.
“I want them to be prepared for the reality that they, there are going to be more cases in the community,” said Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC. “But I want them to continue their daily lives. I want them to be mindful of the opportunity again to prepare themselves and their families.”
The World Health Organization announced Tuesday that the global mortality rate from coronavirus had risen to 3.4%, with more than 3,000 fatalities. The death rate so far is many times higher than the mortality rate of the seasonal flu, which is 0.1%. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that is at least partly because COVID-19 is a new disease, and no one has built up an immunity to it.
Still, he and other health officials said there was still time to slow the spread of the virus.
Officials say they have learned the coronavirus is less transmissible than the flu, which is often spread by people who are infected yet don’t have symptoms. That doesn’t seem to be the case for COVID-19, he said.
“There are not yet any vaccines or therapeutics … which is why we must do everything we can to contain it,” Tedros said.
Earlier reports had pointed to a mortality rate of about 2% for COVID-19. Experts say they suspect all analyses so far have overestimated the disease’s fatality rate because milder cases are largely not being diagnosed. In 80% of people, the disease causes only mild illness, experts say.
More than 50 people in California have the virus, with new cases reported in Berkeley and Santa Clara, Placer and Orange counties. Kaiser Permanente announced late Tuesday it was treating a patient in Los Angeles.
The city of Berkeley said its case involved an individual who visited a country with an outbreak. That person has remained at home in a self-imposed quarantine since returning.
“While the risk of infection remains low, the expanded presence of the virus in our community is a reality we should all prepare for,” said Berkeley’s public health officer, Dr. Lisa Hernandez. “There are steps that all of us in the community can take now to improve basic hygiene and also prepare for a wider spread in the future.”
In Orange County, two cases are pending confirmation from the CDC. The cases involve a man in his 60s and a woman in her 30s who had both recently traveled to countries with widespread transmission, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Santa Clara County announced three more cases of coronavirus Wednesday, bringing the total count there to 14 — the highest number of cases in the sate.
One is a man who’s currently hospitalized. The source of his exposure to the virus is currently under investigation. Two other men are close contacts of an existing case.
California is also speeding up testing of possible coronavirus patients. This more aggressive testing, Newsom said, “may lead to a more rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases reported. That is not necessarily a sign that the rate of infection is increasing, but that our ability to test more people more rapidly is leading to better detection.”
Dr. Mike Ryan, who runs WHO‘s emergencies program, pushed back against officials who wanted to “wave the white flag” and surrender to the disease’s hold. China took drastic steps to fight the virus, he said, and case numbers are now on the decline there.
Countries such as China and South Korea “implemented very, very strong measures that have affected their own economies and their own societies,” Ryan said. “It’s really a duty of others to use the time that has been bought.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said there remained many unknowns about the virus, including the degree to which people who do not express symptoms can transmit it to others. He said doctors know that it happens but have not yet gauged the extent, a key piece of data that will help determine decisions on how to contain it.
Fauci said that Chinese data are believed to be accurate and that the spread of the virus there is slowing thanks to “draconian” methods that would never occur in the United States, including stringent travel and public gathering restrictions.
“They have taken social distancing to its furthest extreme,” he said.
Times staff writers Noah Bierman, Rong-Gong Lin II , Hannah Fry, Taryn Luna, Phil Willon, Richard Winton and Melody Gutierrez contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-05--The long-awaited murder trial of Robert Durst, subject of 'The Jinx,' begins unfolding in Los Angele

The long-awaited murder trial of Robert Durst, subject of 'The Jinx,' begins unfolding in Los Angeles

It was shortly after noon on Christmas Eve in 2000 when a dispatcher in Los Angeles received the call : Dogs were barking outside a home along busy Benedict Canyon Drive .
The tenant ’ s Isuzu was parked in the driveway , but the caller said the back door was wide open and the woman who lived there alone was not answering her phone .
“ This case started off like many cases do , with a very innocuous call , ” said Deputy Dist .
Atty .
John Lewin during the long-awaited opening statements in the murder trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entered the shabby brown-shingled bungalow to find the writer Susan Berman dead on the hardwood floor , a pool of blood around her head .
Lewin showed jurors photos of the scene , noting there was no apparent robbery or burglary .
The windows were locked and unbroken .
The doors showed no sign of forced entry .
Nothing was removed or out of place .
Even Berman ’ s purse , with her wallet inside , was tucked on the kitchen counter .
“ The evidence is going to show , without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Lewin said .
Berman , the daughter of mobster David Berman , was a paranoid woman not given to welcoming strangers .
“ She let her killer into the house , and she turned her back to him.
” Berman was killed with a gunshot to the head .
“ Thankfully , she didn ’ t see it coming , ” Lewin said .
Berman was Durst ’ s close friend and confidant dating back to their days together at UCLA , and nearly 20 years after her body was found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killing .
The eccentric millionaire , now 76 , was charged in 2015 when the HBO docuseries “ The Jinx : The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst ” catapulted him to wider notoriety by exploring the 1982 disappearance of his wife , the death of Berman and Durst ’ s acquittal in 2003 on a murder charge in Galveston , Texas .
Los Angeles police arrested him in connection with Berman ’ s death on the eve of the finale of “ The Jinx , ” claiming he was a flight risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ custody ever since .
On Wednesday , Lewin began laying out the extensive evidence he said would prove Durst killed Berman — a web of testimony that spans decades , features more than 100 witnesses , and relies on dozens of hours of video and reams of documents .
“ Much of the most damaging evidence is going to come directly from Mr. Durst himself , ” Lewin told jurors , referencing hours of interviews Durst gave to creators of “ The Jinx ” and the audio commentary he provided for “ All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movie loosely based on his life starring Ryan Gosling .
Jurors saw video of Durst admitting to using food stamps and shoplifting water bottles at the airport , despite his family ’ s enormous wealth .
He discussed his genitals in front of his mother-in-law .
He spoke of his lackadaisical approach to working at his family ’ s real estate company and warned his pregnant wife that if she kept the baby , he ’ d divorce her .
“ Bob Durst is very honest about the fact that the rules don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lewin argued .
The video clips presented to jurors were not limited to Durst ’ s statements .
Lewin also showed excerpts of witness testimony from earlier hearings that will be replayed during the trial .
Among those witnesses was close friend Nick Chavin , who had testified that over dinner in 2014 , Durst said of Berman , “ I had to .
It was her or me ” — words Chavin said he took to be a confession .
The stream of video clips prompted lead defense attorney Dick DeGuerin to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought I was in a movie theater.
” In the prosecution ’ s telling , Berman ’ s death was merely the second in a sequence of Durst ’ s alleged killings .
Lewin devoted much of his time Wednesday to Durst ’ s increasingly turbulent marriage to Kathleen McCormack Durst , and what preceded her disappearance in 1982 .
“ It was clearly spiraling downhill , ” Lewin said , referring to allegations of domestic abuse .
Yet Kathleen Durst still saw her husband , and Lewin said Durst killed her when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside New York City .
Authorities in New York have never arrested anyone in the matter , but Lewin said he would prove at trial that Durst killed her yet claimed to authorities that she was missing .
Berman was central to the ruse , prosecutors say , alleging she gave Durst a “ false alibi ” by impersonating Kathleen Durst in a call to her medical school and ultimately giving police the impression that she was still alive .
The case grew cold until 1999 , when Durst learned New York authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prompted Durst to silence Berman forever .
Prosecutors allege that the 2001 shooting and dismemberment of Durst ’ s elderly neighbor Morris Black in Galveston marked “ the violent climax of his nearly yearlong effort to conceal himself from New York authorities.
” Durst was acquitted in Black ’ s death after claiming self-defense .
Defense attorney Chip Lewis told The Times that despite a thorough investigation in New York , no one has ever been charged in Kathleen Durst ’ s disappearance .
Further , defense attorneys argue that virtually no physical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killing .
“ Bob Durst did not kill Susan Berman and doesn ’ t know who did , ” DeGuerin told The Times last year .
Durst ’ s defense ’ s will further cast doubt on whether Black , who died months after Berman , is relevant to the case .
Lewis called evidence of Black ’ s gruesome killing and dismemberment an “ emotional hijacking , ” adding that it was “ solely designed to predispose the jury to find Bob guilty of Susan Berman ’ s murder.
” It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 77 next month , will take the witness stand as he did in Galveston .
Now ill and with limited mobility , Durst has risen at 4 a.m. in the county jail to attend jury selection and the trial .
In court , he has signaled defiance , fist-bumping attorneys and once raising both arms victoriously as he looked out to the audience .

New York real estate scion Robert Durst in court in Los Angeles on Wednesday during opening statements in his murder trial.
It was shortly after noon on Christmas Eve in 2000 when a dispatcher in Los Angeles received the call: Dogs were barking outside a home along busy Benedict Canyon Drive. The tenant’s Isuzu was parked in the driveway, but the caller said the back door was wide open and the woman who lived there alone was not answering her phone.
“This case started off like many cases do, with a very innocuous call,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lewin during the long-awaited opening statements in the murder trial of Robert Durst.
Police arrived and entered the shabby brown-shingled bungalow to find the writer Susan Berman dead on the hardwood floor, a pool of blood around her head. Lewin showed jurors photos of the scene, noting there was no apparent robbery or burglary. The windows were locked and unbroken. The doors showed no sign of forced entry. Nothing was removed or out of place. Even Berman’s purse, with her wallet inside, was tucked on the kitchen counter.
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“The evidence is going to show, without question, that Susan knew her killer,” Lewin said. Berman, the daughter of mobster David Berman, was a paranoid woman not given to welcoming strangers. “She let her killer into the house, and she turned her back to him.”
Berman was killed with a gunshot to the head.
“Thankfully, she didn’t see it coming,” Lewin said.
Berman was Durst’s close friend and confidant dating back to their days together at UCLA, and nearly 20 years after her body was found, Durst is on trial for her killing.
The eccentric millionaire, now 76, was charged in 2015 when the HBO docuseries “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” catapulted him to wider notoriety by exploring the 1982 disappearance of his wife, the death of Berman and Durst’s acquittal in 2003 on a murder charge in Galveston, Texas. Los Angeles police arrested him in connection with Berman’s death on the eve of the finale of “The Jinx,” claiming he was a flight risk, and Durst has been held in custody ever since.
On Wednesday, Lewin began laying out the extensive evidence he said would prove Durst killed Berman — a web of testimony that spans decades, features more than 100 witnesses, and relies on dozens of hours of video and reams of documents.
“Much of the most damaging evidence is going to come directly from Mr. Durst himself,” Lewin told jurors, referencing hours of interviews Durst gave to creators of “The Jinx” and the audio commentary he provided for “All Good Things,” a 2010 fictional movie loosely based on his life starring Ryan Gosling.
Jurors saw video of Durst admitting to using food stamps and shoplifting water bottles at the airport, despite his family’s enormous wealth. He discussed his genitals in front of his mother-in-law. He spoke of his lackadaisical approach to working at his family’s real estate company and warned his pregnant wife that if she kept the baby, he’d divorce her.
“Bob Durst is very honest about the fact that the rules don’t apply to him,” Lewin argued.
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The video clips presented to jurors were not limited to Durst’s statements. Lewin also showed excerpts of witness testimony from earlier hearings that will be replayed during the trial.
Among those witnesses was close friend Nick Chavin, who had testified that over dinner in 2014, Durst said of Berman, “I had to. It was her or me” — words Chavin said he took to be a confession.
The stream of video clips prompted lead defense attorney Dick DeGuerin to remark derisively outside court, “I thought I was in a movie theater.”
In the prosecution’s telling, Berman’s death was merely the second in a sequence of Durst’s alleged killings. Lewin devoted much of his time Wednesday to Durst’s increasingly turbulent marriage to Kathleen McCormack Durst, and what preceded her disappearance in 1982.
“It was clearly spiraling downhill,” Lewin said, referring to allegations of domestic abuse. Yet Kathleen Durst still saw her husband, and Lewin said Durst killed her when the couple were at their vacation home outside New York City. Authorities in New York have never arrested anyone in the matter, but Lewin said he would prove at trial that Durst killed her yet claimed to authorities that she was missing.
Berman was central to the ruse, prosecutors say, alleging she gave Durst a “false alibi” by impersonating Kathleen Durst in a call to her medical school and ultimately giving police the impression that she was still alive.
The case grew cold until 1999, when Durst learned New York authorities had reopened it. Prosecutors say that prompted Durst to silence Berman forever.
Prosecutors allege that the 2001 shooting and dismemberment of Durst’s elderly neighbor Morris Black in Galveston marked “the violent climax of his nearly yearlong effort to conceal himself from New York authorities.”
California The stranger-than-fiction twists that led to Robert Durst’s Los Angeles murder trial With jury selection set to begin in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the Robert Durst murder trial is expected to last up to five months, pitting a lineup of elite Los Angeles County prosecutors against the high-end Houston legal team that helped Durst beat a murder charge in Texas in 2003.
Durst was acquitted in Black’s death after claiming self-defense.
Defense attorney Chip Lewis told The Times that despite a thorough investigation in New York, no one has ever been charged in Kathleen Durst’s disappearance. Further, defense attorneys argue that virtually no physical evidence ties Durst to Berman’s killing.
“Bob Durst did not kill Susan Berman and doesn’t know who did,” DeGuerin told The Times last year.
Durst’s defense’s will further cast doubt on whether Black, who died months after Berman, is relevant to the case. Lewis called evidence of Black’s gruesome killing and dismemberment an “emotional hijacking,” adding that it was “solely designed to predispose the jury to find Bob guilty of Susan Berman’s murder.”
It’s unclear whether Durst, who turns 77 next month, will take the witness stand as he did in Galveston.
Now ill and with limited mobility, Durst has risen at 4 a.m. in the county jail to attend jury selection and the trial.
In court, he has signaled defiance, fist-bumping attorneys and once raising both arms victoriously as he looked out to the audience.


latimes--2020-03-05--Deputies called after angry Costco customers balk at coronavirus shortages of water, toilet paper

Sheriff ’ s deputies were called to a Costco in Chino Hills on Thursday when a crowd of customers became unruly after finding that items such as water , paper towels and toilet paper were out of stock , presumably because of coronavirus-inspired buying , authorities said .
San Bernardino County deputies sent to the store in the 13000 block of Peyton Drive at 10:15 a.m. were told that a large group of customers had become frustrated after learning certain products were not available , department spokeswoman Cindy Bachman said .
“ After speaking with Costco staff and checking with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
“ No other issues have been reported today.
” There has been a run on supplies at Costco , Walmart and other retailers in response to the coronavirus .
Cleaning supplies , water , toilet paper and hand sanitizers are among the items flying off shelves .
But experts have said they don ’ t see a need now for people to hoard necessities .
Officials are particularly worried about people stocking up on face masks , which are in short supply and more urgently needed for medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people should be prepared for emergencies , whether earthquakes in California or hurricanes in the East .
and the coronavirus outbreak may be causing some to finally get serious about assembling an emergency kit .
The Federal Emergency Management Agency suggests having , for instance , a two-week supply of water and food and medicine .
But few experts believe the U.S. is on the brink of the situation in China , where hundreds of millions of people have been under some form of and only allowed to leave their homes occasionally .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ expert at UCLA , says he already has a supply of food and other essentials for an earthquake .
As for stocking up even more in light of the coronavirus outbreak , “ I think going out now and stocking up on all kinds of stuff , that doesn ’ t make any sense to me.
” Cherry said the situation in Washington state , where at least 70 COVID-19 cases have been reported and 11 have died , actually suggests the virus causes only mild symptoms in most people it infects .

Sheriff’s deputies were called to a Costco in Chino Hills on Thursday when a crowd of customers became unruly after finding that items such as water, paper towels and toilet paper were out of stock, presumably because of coronavirus-inspired buying, authorities said.
San Bernardino County deputies sent to the store in the 13000 block of Peyton Drive at 10:15 a.m. were told that a large group of customers had become frustrated after learning certain products were not available, department spokeswoman Cindy Bachman said.
“After speaking with Costco staff and checking with customers, deputies determined no crime occurred,” she said. “No other issues have been reported today.”
There has been a run on supplies at Costco, Walmart and other retailers in response to the coronavirus. Cleaning supplies, water, toilet paper and hand sanitizers are among the items flying off shelves.
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But experts have said they don’t see a need now for people to hoard necessities. Officials are particularly worried about people stocking up on face masks, which are in short supply and more urgently needed for medical professionals.
It’s true that people should be prepared for emergencies, whether earthquakes in California or hurricanes in the East. and the coronavirus outbreak may be causing some to finally get serious about assembling an emergency kit. The Federal Emergency Management Agency suggests having, for instance, a two-week supply of water and food and medicine.
But few experts believe the U.S. is on the brink of the situation in China, where hundreds of millions of people have been under some form of quarantine and only allowed to leave their homes occasionally.
Dr. James Cherry, an infectious disease expert at UCLA, says he already has a supply of food and other essentials for an earthquake. As for stocking up even more in light of the coronavirus outbreak, “I think going out now and stocking up on all kinds of stuff, that doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Cherry said the situation in Washington state, where at least 70 COVID-19 cases have been reported and 11 have died, actually suggests the virus causes only mild symptoms in most people it infects.


latimes--2020-03-05--How a healthy-looking baby might spread the coronavirus

First , the mother and nanny were hospitalized with pneumonia , suspected of being infected with the novel coronavirus .
The next day , the father fell ill with a fever and sore throat and was hospitalized too .
With no one to care for him , the baby was brought to the hospital to be cared for in an isolation unit .
The child — a 6-month-old boy — came to the hospital with no symptoms of COVID-19 .
He seemed perfectly healthy , was breathing fine and had no fever on his arrival at the hospital , medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ produced a surprise : Huge amounts of the novel coronavirus were detected in the baby .
The virus was found in his throat , blood and stool .
Pathogens continued to be detected in the boy for the first 16 days he was at the hospital .
But he never showed symptoms of the illness , apart from a single temperature reading of 101.3 degrees that fell back to normal within an hour .
In this case from Singapore — reported in a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job put her in close contact with tourists from China , the epicenter of the outbreak .
The findings are critical for public health officials to understand , researchers say .
“ While most adults with COVID-19 infection have fever , respiratory symptoms and/or chest X-ray changes , current data suggest that the majority of the infected children have mild or no symptoms , ” wrote the authors , experts with the KK Women ’ s and Children ’ s Hospital and the National Centre for Infectious Disease in Singapore .
Dr. Otto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UCLA who wasn ’ t a part of the study , said the findings have “ important implications.
” The results show how children can “ have minimal symptoms or no symptoms , but are infectious , ” he said .
“ In general , the younger you are , the less severe your symptoms are .
But that ’ s not because you don ’ t get infected .
It ’ s because the infection doesn ’ t cause you to get sick , ” Yang said .
Nonetheless , “ you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ studies back up the idea that babies , toddlers and young children are either not falling ill , or not getting very sick , from the virus , which has sickened more than 97,000 globally and killed more than 3,000 .
A sweeping review of 44,672 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients in China by Chinese authorities found that no deaths occurred among anyone younger than 10 .
Another study by experts in Wuhan , China , published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.
, sought to review all hospitalized infants diagnosed with COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in China .
By Feb. 6 , there had been 31,211 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 637 fatalities .
But the authors could find only nine infected babies who were hospitalized nationwide .
“ None of the nine infants required intensive care or mechanical ventilation or had any severe complications , ” the study said .
Four had fever , two had mild upper respiratory tract symptoms and one had no symptoms but tested positive for the virus because of the baby ’ s exposure to infected family .
There were no symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And a report published in the World Journal of Pediatrics , summarizing experts ’ consensus on the coronavirus in children , also warned that people who have a “ silent infection ” are among the main sources of transmission for the illness .
“ We also should attach importance to asymptomatic cases , which may play a critical role in the transmission process , ” the report said .
“ Respiratory droplets and contact are the main transmission routes .
Close contact with symptomatic cases and asymptomatic cases with silent infection are the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] infection in children.
” However , the director-general of the World Health Organization has pushed back on the idea that the coronavirus can infect people as easily as the flu .
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday that although a person with influenza can be contagious when an infected person does not have symptoms , the same does not appear to be true for the coronavirus .
Most infected children have no fever or symptoms of pneumonia , and few progress to infections of the lung , the report said .
Infected children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or have fever , dry cough and fatigue ; few have upper-respiratory symptoms such as a runny nose or nasal congestion , and some report a stomach ache , nausea , vomiting and diarrhea .
One possible reason why babies , toddlers and young children have not been critically threatened by the new coronavirus is their immature immune system .
An undeveloped immune system might prevent the body from triggering inflammation severe enough to result in pneumonia , septic shock or organ failure , said Yang , the infectious diseases specialist at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause mild or no illness in the very young , the risk is much higher in those over the age of 70 .
Underlying medical conditions are also a risk factor for complications , such as diabetes , obesity , disease of the heart , lung or kidney and those with weakened immune systems , according to Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases .
Most people who become infected with COVID-19 show only mild symptoms ; the review of 44,672 lab-confirmed patients showed 81 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % had severe illnesses and 5 % were critical , half of whom died .

A scanning electron microscope image shows the new coronavirus, in yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, shown in blue and pink, cultured in a lab.
First, the mother and nanny were hospitalized with pneumonia, suspected of being infected with the novel coronavirus. The next day, the father fell ill with a fever and sore throat and was hospitalized too.
With no one to care for him, the baby was brought to the hospital to be cared for in an isolation unit. The child — a 6-month-old boy — came to the hospital with no symptoms of COVID-19. He seemed perfectly healthy, was breathing fine and had no fever on his arrival at the hospital, medical professionals observed.
But a closer examination produced a surprise: Huge amounts of the novel coronavirus were detected in the baby. The virus was found in his throat, blood and stool. Pathogens continued to be detected in the boy for the first 16 days he was at the hospital. But he never showed symptoms of the illness, apart from a single temperature reading of 101.3 degrees that fell back to normal within an hour.
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In this case from Singapore — reported in a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases — the mother had not traveled, but her job put her in close contact with tourists from China, the epicenter of the outbreak.
The findings are critical for public health officials to understand, researchers say.
“While most adults with COVID-19 infection have fever, respiratory symptoms and/or chest X-ray changes, current data suggest that the majority of the infected children have mild or no symptoms,” wrote the authors, experts with the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the National Centre for Infectious Disease in Singapore.
Dr. Otto Yang, an infectious diseases expert at UCLA who wasn’t a part of the study, said the findings have “important implications.” The results show how children can “have minimal symptoms or no symptoms, but are infectious,” he said.
“In general, the younger you are, the less severe your symptoms are. But that’s not because you don’t get infected. It’s because the infection doesn’t cause you to get sick,” Yang said. Nonetheless, “you probably still remain very infectious.”
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Other studies back up the idea that babies, toddlers and young children are either not falling ill, or not getting very sick, from the virus, which has sickened more than 97,000 globally and killed more than 3,000.
A sweeping review of 44,672 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients in China by Chinese authorities found that no deaths occurred among anyone younger than 10.
Another study by experts in Wuhan, China, published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., sought to review all hospitalized infants diagnosed with COVID-19 infection between Dec. 8 and Feb. 6 in China.
By Feb. 6, there had been 31,211 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 637 fatalities. But the authors could find only nine infected babies who were hospitalized nationwide.
“None of the nine infants required intensive care or mechanical ventilation or had any severe complications,” the study said.
Four had fever, two had mild upper respiratory tract symptoms and one had no symptoms but tested positive for the virus because of the baby’s exposure to infected family. There were no symptoms available for the other two patients.
And a report published in the World Journal of Pediatrics, summarizing experts’ consensus on the coronavirus in children, also warned that people who have a “silent infection” are among the main sources of transmission for the illness.
“We also should attach importance to asymptomatic cases, which may play a critical role in the transmission process,” the report said. “Respiratory droplets and contact are the main transmission routes. Close contact with symptomatic cases and asymptomatic cases with silent infection are the main transmission routes of [novel coronavirus] infection in children.”
However, the director-general of the World Health Organization has pushed back on the idea that the coronavirus can infect people as easily as the flu. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday that although a person with influenza can be contagious when an infected person does not have symptoms, the same does not appear to be true for the coronavirus.
Most infected children have no fever or symptoms of pneumonia, and few progress to infections of the lung, the report said. Infected children may either show no signs of illness, or have fever, dry cough and fatigue; few have upper-respiratory symptoms such as a runny nose or nasal congestion, and some report a stomach ache, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
One possible reason why babies, toddlers and young children have not been critically threatened by the new coronavirus is their immature immune system. An undeveloped immune system might prevent the body from triggering inflammation severe enough to result in pneumonia, septic shock or organ failure, said Yang, the infectious diseases specialist at UCLA.
While the new coronavirus can cause mild or no illness in the very young, the risk is much higher in those over the age of 70. Underlying medical conditions are also a risk factor for complications, such as diabetes, obesity, disease of the heart, lung or kidney and those with weakened immune systems, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Most people who become infected with COVID-19 show only mild symptoms; the review of 44,672 lab-confirmed patients showed 81% with mild symptoms. Researchers found 14% had severe illnesses and 5% were critical, half of whom died.
Times staff writer Deborah Netburn contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-05--Coronavirus cases in L.A. County rise to 11: Here is what you need to know

Los Angeles County now has 11 coronavirus cases , with the announcement of four new cases Thursday .
• Seven cases involve a group of travelers who visited northern Italy , where coronavirus has cause widespread outbreaks .
• Two are connected to close contact to a coronavirus patient .
• One is a patient who lived in Wuhan , China .
Even with these new cases , testing still hasn ’ t shown any of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County , officials said .
In the case of the LAX worker , officials have tested others who came in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any more cases so far .
This is a key detail because other parts of California and the nation have already seen new cases arise through community spread .
San Francisco , for example , announced its first two cases .
The patients are not related to each other and have no travel history to areas where the coronavirus has appeared , 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of health , said in a statement .
Santa Clara and Solano counties also have reported community spread cases .
Los Angeles County and the cities of Pasadena and Long Beach declared health emergencies Wednesday .
An emergency declaration gives cities and counties the ability to ask the state or other counties for aid if their local resources are exhausted .
The declarations have been preparation-based , not because an outbreak currently exists , officials say .
L.A. County will increase its capacity for virus testing at its public health laboratory , officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be held , and health officials will post new guidelines for schools and colleges .
In addition , “ technical assistance teams ” will be sent over the next week to inspect temporary housing facilities , including homeless shelters .
Coronavirus concerns have also resulted in conferences and other professional gatherings being canceled and some employees working from home .
It also became an issue in the Robert Durst murder trial just underway in L.A. County Superior Court .
“ I ’ d like you to all stay healthy , ” Judge Mark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 alternates chosen for the case .
He advised jurors to wash their hands “ briskly and often , ” cover their coughs and sneezes with tissue and use provided hand sanitizer .
“ You must stay home if you are sick , ” Windham said .
One juror lifted a hand sanitizer bottle on the railing of the jury box .
“ Call us when you are sick , ” Windham added .
Windham made the announcement during the prosecution ’ s opening statements Thursday afternoon .

Soumya Karlamangla, Alex Wigglesworth, Matt Hamilton

Los Angeles County now has 11 coronavirus cases, with the announcement of four new cases Thursday.
A breakdown
• Seven cases involve a group of travelers who visited northern Italy, where coronavirus has cause widespread outbreaks.
• Two are connected to close contact to a coronavirus patient.
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• One is a Los Angeles International Airport worker.
• One is a patient who lived in Wuhan, China.
How it’s spreading
Even with these new cases, testing still hasn’t shown any community spread of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, officials said.
In the case of the LAX worker, officials have tested others who came in contact with him and have not found any more cases so far.
This is a key detail because other parts of California and the nation have already seen new cases arise through community spread.
San Francisco, for example, announced its first two cases. The patients are not related to each other and have no travel history to areas where the coronavirus has appeared, 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 community spread cases.
Impacts
Los Angeles County and the cities of Pasadena and Long Beach declared health emergencies Wednesday. An emergency declaration gives cities and counties the ability to ask the state or other counties for aid if their local resources are exhausted. The declarations have been preparation-based, not because an outbreak currently exists, officials say.
L.A. County will increase its capacity for virus testing at its public health laboratory, officials said. Daily public radio briefings will be held, and health officials will post new guidelines for schools and colleges. In addition, “technical assistance teams” will be sent over the next week to inspect temporary housing facilities, including homeless shelters.
Coronavirus concerns have also resulted in conferences and other professional gatherings being canceled and some employees working from home.
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It also became an issue in the Robert Durst murder trial just underway in L.A. County Superior Court.
“I’d like you to all stay healthy,” Judge Mark E. Windham told the 12 jurors and 11 alternates chosen for the case. He advised jurors to wash their hands “briskly and often,” cover their coughs and sneezes with tissue and use provided hand sanitizer.
“You must stay home if you are sick,” Windham said.
One juror lifted a hand sanitizer bottle on the railing of the jury box.
“Call us when you are sick,” Windham added.
Windham made the announcement during the prosecution’s opening statements Thursday afternoon.


latimes--2020-03-05--California officials demand changes to L.A. voting after election day chaos

California ’ s chief elections officer lashed out Thursday at the series of election day mishaps in Los Angeles County , demanding that local officials mail ballots to each of the county ’ s 5.5 million voters for the November election .
“ I ’ m beyond frustrated and disappointed in what I saw on Tuesday , and I ’ m committed to making sure it doesn ’ t happen again , ” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said .
“ Clearly , voters deserve better.
” L.A. County ’ s rollout of its long-awaited voting system — including new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in lieu of neighborhood polling places — was marred by reports of broken devices and wait times of three hours or longer .
Many of the voters standing in long lines were angry that they had no other way to cast a ballot in the statewide presidential primary .
Los Angeles County was given special treatment under a 2016 state election law , allowing officials to close polling places without mailing a ballot to every voter .
That provision will expire in 2024 .
But for Tuesday ’ s election , it meant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were forced to find one of the vote centers , of which there were far fewer than polling places used in the 2018 election .
“ L.A .
County appealed to the Legislature for special treatment and they got it , ” said Padilla , a former state senator and president of the L.A. City Council .
Perhaps no California county had more at stake in the statewide primary this year than Los Angeles , home to more voters than anywhere else in the state , and whose officials attempted to implement the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new $ 300-million system for marking and counting ballots .
Images of voters standing in long lines deep into the night on Tuesday were seen across the nation , and voters complained of problems on social media and by calling the state ’ s election hotline .
State Sen. Ben Allen ( D-Santa Monica ) , the author of the 2016 law to move counties away from traditional elections and toward a model that combines absentee ballots with full-service centers for those who want to vote in person , said he will introduce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County to open more vote centers in November or mail all registered voters a ballot .
“ I regret not having pushed harder on L.A. County last time around , ” Allen said of the negotiations over his law , the Voter ’ s Choice Act .
“ And I ’ m trying to fix things with this bill.
” For those voters who received ballots , the process didn ’ t always go smoothly , either .
About 17,000 ballots arrived late to voters in areas including Lancaster , Sunland-Tujunga and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County Registrar/Recorder spokesman Mike Sanchez .
He said the vendor hired by the county told the elections division last week that it had failed to send some vote-by-mail ballots that should have been mailed by early February .
After realizing the error , the vendor sent the ballots by first-class mail on Feb. 26 .
Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said he never received his vote-by-mail ballot , so he voted in person .
“ I think it was legitimate incompetence , ” he said .
“ I don ’ t think it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that the widespread voting problems reported on Tuesday won ’ t inspire confidence in those who are already discouraged about California ’ s political system .
“ People have lost confidence , people feel disenfranchised , ” Parris said .
“ The best way to increase malaise is to make people feel like you ’ re manipulating the election.
” The exact number of ballots cast in L.A. County remains unknown , either through the mail or at one of the 978 vote centers .
Fewer than 500,000 of the ballots cast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tallied as of Thursday afternoon .
While many of the vote centers were open 10 days prior to election day , relatively few L.A. voters cast ballots during that time — a lackluster response that foreshadowed the rush of people on election day .
The state ’ s Voter ’ s Choice Act , so far adopted by 15 of California ’ s 58 counties , counts on voters changing their behavior in one of two ways : voting early or by mail .
It ’ s a choice that was available to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles .
At the time of the law ’ s passage , county officials argued that they didn ’ t have the capacity to mail everyone a ballot .
The special provision was not included in the first drafts of the legislation , Senate Bill 450 , but was added without fanfare during the legislative process .
“ They said it wasn ’ t logistically feasible , ” Allen said of the discussions .
“ They said it was too expensive.
” Padilla , who was the new law ’ s most vocal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about exempting L.A. from mailing everyone a ballot , insisted Thursday it was not his decision .
“ It was a mistake for the Legislature to give L.A. County special treatment , ” he said .
Dean Logan , L.A. County ’ s registrar of voters , said in a written statement he released Thursday that Padilla ’ s call to mail everyone a ballot would not be easy .
“ The logistics and capacity for election administration in Los Angeles County are complex and demanding , ” Logan wrote .
“ Significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made going forward — to ensure greater access , functionality and reliability in the voting model .
Expansion of vote by mail should be explored to determine its viability in the short timeframe ahead of the November election , but more is required.
” On Wednesday , L.A. County supervisors signaled that they would ask for an investigtion into the root causes of the problems , though some supervisors believed a key factor was that so many voters waited to cast ballots until election day .
Others have pointed out the variety of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same time — some failed to perform as expected , including tablet devices used to check a voter ’ s registration upon arrival at a vote center that were often slow or unable to make an online connection .
Richard L. Hasen , an election law professor at UC Irvine , said that the novelty of the new voting machines and check-in tablets made enhanced training important .
And he said an influx of younger , more technologically savvy election workers would help .
“ The technology has gone from fourth-grade technology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ You need younger people who are more comfortable with the technology .
There should be a big push for that .
”

Hundreds of UCLA students waited for hours in line before being able to vote using new machines on Tuesday at the UCLA Ackerman Student Union.
California’s chief elections officer lashed out Thursday at the series of election day mishaps in Los Angeles County, demanding that local officials mail ballots to each of the county’s 5.5 million voters for the November election.
“I’m beyond frustrated and disappointed in what I saw on Tuesday, and I’m committed to making sure it doesn’t happen again,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “Clearly, voters deserve better.”
L.A. County’s rollout of its long-awaited voting system — including new ballot-marking machines and regional vote centers used in lieu of neighborhood polling places — was marred by reports of broken devices and wait times of three hours or longer. Many of the voters standing in long lines were angry that they had no other way to cast a ballot in the statewide presidential primary. Los Angeles County was given special treatment under a 2016 state election law, allowing officials to close polling places without mailing a ballot to every voter.
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That provision will expire in 2024. But for Tuesday’s election, it meant that as many as 2 million Angelenos were forced to find one of the vote centers, of which there were far fewer than polling places used in the 2018 election.
“L.A. County appealed to the Legislature for special treatment and they got it,” said Padilla, a former state senator and president of the L.A. City Council.
Perhaps no California county had more at stake in the statewide primary this year than Los Angeles, home to more voters than anywhere else in the state, and whose officials attempted to implement the new law while also rolling out a new $300-million system for marking and counting ballots. Images of voters standing in long lines deep into the night on Tuesday were seen across the nation, and voters complained of problems on social media and by calling the state’s election hotline.
State Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), the author of the 2016 law to move counties away from traditional elections and toward a model that combines absentee ballots with full-service centers for those who want to vote in person, said he will introduce legislation next week that would require L.A. County to open more vote centers in November or mail all registered voters a ballot.
“I regret not having pushed harder on L.A. County last time around,” Allen said of the negotiations over his law, the Voter’s Choice Act. “And I’m trying to fix things with this bill.”
For those voters who received ballots, the process didn’t always go smoothly, either. About 17,000 ballots arrived late to voters in areas including Lancaster, Sunland-Tujunga and other pockets of the county, said L.A. County Registrar/Recorder spokesman Mike Sanchez. He said the vendor hired by the county told the elections division last week that it had failed to send some vote-by-mail ballots that should have been mailed by early February. After realizing the error, the vendor sent the ballots by first-class mail on Feb. 26.
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Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said he never received his vote-by-mail ballot, so he voted in person.
“I think it was legitimate incompetence,” he said. “I don’t think it was something nefarious.”
However, Parris said that the widespread voting problems reported on Tuesday won’t inspire confidence in those who are already discouraged about California’s political system.
“People have lost confidence, people feel disenfranchised,” Parris said. “The best way to increase malaise is to make people feel like you’re manipulating the election.”
The exact number of ballots cast in L.A. County remains unknown, either through the mail or at one of the 978 vote centers. Fewer than 500,000 of the ballots cast in person on election day had been tallied as of Thursday afternoon. While many of the vote centers were open 10 days prior to election day, relatively few L.A. voters cast ballots during that time — a lackluster response that foreshadowed the rush of people on election day.
The state’s Voter’s Choice Act, so far adopted by 15 of California’s 58 counties, counts on voters changing their behavior in one of two ways: voting early or by mail. It’s a choice that was available to every voter in every county but Los Angeles.
At the time of the law’s passage, county officials argued that they didn’t have the capacity to mail everyone a ballot. The special provision was not included in the first drafts of the legislation, Senate Bill 450, but was added without fanfare during the legislative process.
“They said it wasn’t logistically feasible,” Allen said of the discussions. “They said it was too expensive.”
Padilla, who was the new law’s most vocal champion and raised no concerns in 2016 about exempting L.A. from mailing everyone a ballot, insisted Thursday it was not his decision.
“It was a mistake for the Legislature to give L.A. County special treatment,” he said.
Dean Logan, L.A. County’s registrar of voters, said in a written statement he released Thursday that Padilla’s call to mail everyone a ballot would not be easy.
“The logistics and capacity for election administration in Los Angeles County are complex and demanding,” Logan wrote. “Significant efforts were made — and must be made going forward — to ensure greater access, functionality and reliability in the voting model. Expansion of vote by mail should be explored to determine its viability in the short timeframe ahead of the November election, but more is required.”
On Wednesday, L.A. County supervisors signaled that they would ask for an investigtion into the root causes of the problems, though some supervisors believed a key factor was that so many voters waited to cast ballots until election day. Others have pointed out the variety of changes made to the voting experience at the same time — some failed to perform as expected, including tablet devices used to check a voter’s registration upon arrival at a vote center that were often slow or unable to make an online connection.
Richard L. Hasen, an election law professor at UC Irvine, said that the novelty of the new voting machines and check-in tablets made enhanced training important. And he said an influx of younger, more technologically savvy election workers would help.
“The technology has gone from fourth-grade technology to graduate school-level technology,” he said. “You need younger people who are more comfortable with the technology. There should be a big push for that.”


latimes--2020-03-05--Teacher sent explicit, inappropriate messages to middle schooler, authorities say

A 39-year-old Moreno Valley middle school teacher was arrested this week after authorities said she sent explicit and inappropriate messages to a student .
The Riverside County Sheriff ’ s Department received a tip regarding a teacher at Palm Middle School on Monday afternoon .
After conducting interviews , investigators searched the home of teacher Emily Wentworth in Nuevo to collect digital media , sheriff ’ s officials said .
Wentworth was then arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of distributing harmful matter to a minor , specifically a male student at Palm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was released Wednesday on $ 5,000 bail , custody records show .
Wentworth has been placed on leave , according to Anahi Velasco , a public information officer for the Moreno Valley Unified School District .
She has worked at Palm Middle School since 2014 , most recently as a resource specialist teacher , Velasco said .
Velasco declined to say whether Wentworth has faced disciplinary action before , citing privacy and confidentiality laws .
“ We want parents and families to understand that we take this matter very seriously , ” Velasco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moreno Valley Unified School District teachers go through a background check , and she was cleared prior to employment with us.
” Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Sheriff ’ s Department at ( 951 ) 486-6700 .
“ The safety and security of our students is always our top priority , and we will continue to work with the Sheriff ’ s Department to conduct a thorough investigation , ” Velasco said .

A 39-year-old Moreno Valley middle school teacher was arrested this week after authorities said she sent explicit and inappropriate messages to a student.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department received a tip regarding a teacher at Palm Middle School on Monday afternoon. After conducting interviews, investigators searched the home of teacher Emily Wentworth in Nuevo to collect digital media, sheriff’s officials said.
Wentworth was then arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of distributing harmful matter to a minor, specifically a male student at Palm Middle School, authorities said.
She was released Wednesday on $5,000 bail, custody records show.
Emily Wentworth, 39, was arrested this week on suspicion of distributing harmful matter to a minor. (Riverside County Sheriff’s Department)
Wentworth has been placed on leave, according to Anahi Velasco, a public information officer for the Moreno Valley Unified School District. She has worked at Palm Middle School since 2014, most recently as a resource specialist teacher, Velasco said.
Velasco declined to say whether Wentworth has faced disciplinary action before, citing privacy and confidentiality laws.
“We want parents and families to understand that we take this matter very seriously,” Velasco said in an email. “All Moreno Valley Unified School District teachers go through a background check, and she was cleared prior to employment with us.”
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Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at (951) 486-6700.
“The safety and security of our students is always our top priority, and we will continue to work with the Sheriff’s Department to conduct a thorough investigation,” Velasco said.


latimes--2020-03-05--'Suspicious activity' report prompts brief lockdown at Naval Base San Diego

Naval Base San Diego was briefly placed on lockdown late Thursday morning after an unspecified security alert .
On-base security @ @ @ @ @ suspicious activity ” at an administration building about 11:17 a.m. , officials said .
A @ @ @ @ @ an abundance of caution , officials said , and personnel were advised to seek shelter @ @ @ @ @ According to a later posting , “ base security secured the scene and are investigating @ @ @ @ @ ” and there was “ no significant threat to personnel.
” Officials did not provide @ @ @ @ @ activity .
Normal operations resumed shortly before noon , they said .

Naval Base San Diego was briefly placed on lockdown late Thursday morning after an unspecified security alert.
On-base security received a report of “suspicious activity” at an administration building about 11:17 a.m., officials said.
A lockdown was ordered out of an abundance of caution, officials said, and personnel were advised to seek shelter and remain in place.
According to a later posting, “base security secured the scene and are investigating the cause of the alert” and there was “no significant threat to personnel.” Officials did not provide details of the reported suspicious activity.
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Normal operations resumed shortly before noon, they said.