latimes--2020-08-09--Remains of servicemen who died in California training exercise to be prepared for burial

Military officials are preparing to transfer the remains of seven U.S. Marines — including one from Montebello — and a Navy sailor to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware over the next few days to be prepared for burial .
The remains were recovered Friday after the servicemen went missing near San Clemente Island when their amphibious vehicle sank during a training mission last month .
“ Our hearts and thoughts of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are with the families of our recovered Marines and Sailor , ” said Col. Christopher Bronzi , commanding officer of the 15th Marine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successful recovery of our fallen warriors brings some measure of comfort.
” Marine and Navy pallbearers will place the remains aboard an aircraft bound for Dover Air Force Base in a solemn transfer , officials said .
From Dover , their remains will be released to their families in accordance with their wishes .
The transfer of remains will not be open to the public .
A group of service members and supporters went on an eight-mile hike Saturday morning in Carlsbad , Calif. , to honor the Marines and sailor .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ located the amphibious assault vehicle that sank off the coast of San Diego County , killing the young servicemen , and confirmed the presence of human remains where the vessel came to rest on the sea floor .
The naval Undersea Rescue Command made the discovery near San Clemente Island on Monday using video systems remotely operated aboard the HOS Dominator , a merchant vessel whose crew specializes in undersea search and rescue .
The amphibious troop-transport vehicle was en route to a waiting ship during a maritime training mission about 80 miles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unknown reasons about 5:45 p.m. July 30 , according to Lt. Gen. Joseph Osterman , commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force .
The 26-ton vessel went down roughly 1,600 yards from a beach on the northwest side of the island in water nearly 400 feet deep .
Seven members of the Camp Pendleton-based crew survived the accident .
Medics took two of them to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla , where both were admitted in critical condition .
One was later upgraded to stable condition .
The other five rescued Marines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their units .
Pronounced dead at the scene of the accident was Lance Cpl .
Guillermo S. Perez of New Braunfels , Texas .
Perez , 20 , was a rifleman with Bravo Company , Battalion Landing Team 1/4 , 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit .
The 15th MEU , I MEF and Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group searched in vain for nearly two days for more survivors or their bodies , concluding the operation Aug. 1 after 40 hours of scanning some 1,325 square miles of water by sea and air .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ identified as :

The U.S. flag was lowered to half-staff at Park Semper Fi in San Clemente last month after the servicemen went missing.
Military officials are preparing to transfer the remains of seven U.S. Marines — including one from Montebello — and a Navy sailor to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware over the next few days to be prepared for burial.
The remains were recovered Friday after the servicemen went missing near San Clemente Island when their amphibious vehicle sank during a training mission last month.
“Our hearts and thoughts of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are with the families of our recovered Marines and Sailor,” said Col. Christopher Bronzi, commanding officer of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. “We hope the successful recovery of our fallen warriors brings some measure of comfort.”
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In a solemn transfer, Marine and Navy pallbearers will place the remains aboard an aircraft bound for Dover Air Force Base, officials said. From Dover, their remains will be released to their families in accordance with their wishes. The transfer of remains will not be open to the public.
A group of service members and supporters went on an eight-mile hike Saturday morning in Carlsbad, Calif., to honor the Marines and sailor.
The U.S. military announced last week it had located the amphibious assault vehicle that sank off the coast of San Diego County, killing the young servicemen, and confirmed the presence of human remains where the vessel came to rest on the sea floor.
The naval Undersea Rescue Command made the discovery near San Clemente Island on Monday using video systems remotely operated aboard the HOS Dominator, a merchant vessel whose crew specializes in undersea search and rescue.
The amphibious troop-transport vehicle was en route to a waiting ship during a maritime training mission about 80 miles west of Encinitas when it foundered for unknown reasons about 5:45 p.m. on July 30, said Lt. Gen. Joseph Osterman, commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
The 26-ton vessel went down roughly 1,600 yards from a beach on the northwest side of the island in water nearly 400 feet deep.
Seven members of the Camp Pendleton-based crew survived the accident. Medics took two of them to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where both were admitted in critical condition. One was later upgraded to stable condition.
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The other five rescued Marines received clean bills of health and returned to their units.
Pronounced dead at the scene of the accident was Lance Cpl. Guillermo S. Perez of New Braunfels, Texas. Perez, 20, was a rifleman with Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The 15th MEU, I MEF and Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group searched in vain for nearly two days for more survivors or their bodies, concluding the operation Aug. 1 after 40 hours of scanning some 1,325 square miles of water by sea and air.
The other lost service members have been identified as:
— Lance Cpl. Marco A. Barranco, 21, of Montebello, a rifleman with Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 15th MEU;
— Cpl. Cesar A. Villanueva, 21, of Riverside, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU;
— Pfc. Bryan J. Baltierra, 18, of Corona, Calif., a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU;
— Pfc. Evan A. Bath, 19, of Oak Creek, Wis., a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU;
— Christopher Gnem, 22, of Stockton, a Navy hospital corpsman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU;
— Pfc. Jack Ryan Ostrovsky, 21, of Bend, Ore., a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU;
— Cpl. Wesley A. Rodd, 23, of Harris, Texas, a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU;
— Lance Cpl. Chase D. Sweetwood, 19, of Portland, Ore., a rifleman with Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU.


latimes--2020-08-09--Amid COVID-19, California releases some inmates doing time for murder. Advocates push to free more

Terebea Williams was 22 when she shot her boyfriend , drove 750 miles with him bleeding in the trunk of his own car and then dragged him into a Northern California motel , tied him to a chair and left him to die .
Convicted of murder , carjacking and kidnapping , Williams went on to earn a college degree during her 19 years in prison , where she also mentored younger inmates and was lauded by administrators for her “ exceptional conduct ” while incarcerated .
The contrasting portraits of Williams as stone-cold killer and rehabilitated model prisoner highlight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thousands of California inmates to curb the spread of COVID-19 , which has killed at least 52 of those incarcerated and sickened more than 8,700 others .
This spring , the state expedited the release of 3,500 inmates because of the coronavirus , and in July it freed 2,345 others early .
Thousands more are eligible for release , including at least 6,500 deemed to be at high risk because of medical conditions that make them especially vulnerable to COVID-19 .
Although Gov .
Gavin Newsom and corrections officials have focused on freeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out people who , like Williams , have committed violent crimes but have serious medical conditions .
Williams , 44 , walked out of a women ’ s prison in Chowchilla , Calif. , on July 29 , lopping decades off her 84-years-to-life sentence for killing Kevin “ John ” Ruska Jr. , who died of infection from a gunshot wound to the gut .
Some prisoners ’ rights advocates say Williams exemplifies the type of inmate who should be released — one who has already served a lengthy sentence , poses a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulnerable to the coronavirus .
Some are also pushing to expand the criteria for early releases to include similar types of inmates now serving life without parole for murder .
But in Williams ’ case and others , officials have drawn the ire of prosecutors , victims ’ rights advocates and family members amid questions about which and how many inmates are being released — and whether it is being done with enough transparency to protect the public .
“ The governor of California , Terebea ’ s public defender and the politicians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this cold , calculated , lying , unremorseful murderer out of jail 65 years early , without giving the victim , Johnny , a voice , ” said Ruska ’ s cousin , Karri Phillips .
Whether violent felons should be paroled has long been debated , but the matter has become more urgent because of the coronavirus and the troubled and chaotic way some nonviolent offenders have been set free .
The process for determining who gets out and why is unclear , and some victims ’ families say they have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their lawyers also say they have been kept in the dark about the selection process .
Brian Pomerantz , a defense attorney who represents a San Quentin inmate at high risk medically and within months of parole eligibility , petitioned a federal court on July 10 for an early release .
But a month later , Pomerantz said , he still had heard nothing from the court or corrections officials on the fate of Anthony Waldrip , who has served 20 years of a 25-years-to-life sentence for being a felon in possession of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , did not own the gun and was moving it from a play area where an 8-year-old boy was showing it to his sister when police spotted him with the weapon , Pomerantz said , calling it a victimless crime .
“ To the best of my knowledge , no one has even considered him for early release , ” he said .
“ If the state is not releasing the least dangerous , the soonest eligible , the most medically vulnerable , or those without victims , what criteria are being utilized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers are fluid and subject to parole regulations and the decisions of officials at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation .
Some inmates are being freed on parole through regular channels , while others must meet such criteria as being within six or 12 months of the end of their sentences , depending on the prison .
Despite recent releases , many prisons remain at or over capacity , making it difficult to stop coronavirus from spreading .
More releases are needed , said medical experts , to control the crisis and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need hospitalizations in surrounding communities where healthcare systems are already stressed .
In a statement , corrections officials said that the 6,500 inmates identified as medically high-risk for COVID-19 were only “ eligible for consideration ” for release and would be evaluated “ based upon public safety and public health considerations.
” “ We take these decisions very seriously and continue to work with our law enforcement , public health , and community-based partners to address their concerns and work through this public health emergency together , ” it said .
Advocates for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being considered are older and unlikely to commit new violent crimes .
They say that only people who have shown they are rehabilitated , often after decades behind bars , are eligible — and the releases ultimately are in line with reforms that have rolled back overly harsh sentences handed out decades ago in a tough-on-crime , three-strikes era .
“ The safest person to be let back into our communities is a lifer , a lifer who has worked on himself , who has been to [ Alcoholics Anonymous ] for 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classes , who has unpacked childhood trauma , ” said Karen McDaniel , founder of Place4Grace , which provides rides home to those recently released and advocates for prison reform .
“ I any day would rather have a van full of lifers than a van full of guys who have just done a year , ” she said .
Newsom , like Gov .
Jerry Brown before him , has committed to reforming the criminal justice system with an eye toward lowering incarceration rates and prioritizing rehabilitation .
But the specter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after release is every politician ’ s nightmare .
Many recall the case of Willie Horton , a Massachusetts prisoner who committed a rape while out on an inmate furlough program , a much-publicized crime that helped doom then-Gov .
Michael Dukakis ’ presidential hopes in 1988 .
“ We still have an issue of should we only release violent or nonviolent offenders , and that is a political issue we shouldn ’ t be talking about when it comes to human lives , ” said Michael Mendoza , who was sentenced to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a gang murder .
Mendoza , now executive director of the advocacy group # cut50 , served 17 years before overhauls targeting youthful offenders made him eligible for parole in 2014 .
He and others say studies have shown that those who have served long sentences already , whether their crimes were violent or not , are the least likely to reoffend — at a rate less than 5 % , and for some demographics as low as 1 % .
And when they do reoffend , it often is for nonviolent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theft .
Some advocates contend that the pool of vulnerable inmates prioritized for early release should be expanded to include those with mental illness .
Psychiatric services have been sharply cut back in many prisons dealing with outbreaks , they say , and suicides are a continuing problem .
Michael Bien , a lawyer involved in a long-running federal lawsuit over prison medical care , says many inmates with mental health needs face a mix of physical and psychological danger that should be taken into account .
“ It ’ s like people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a fire , ” Bien said .
“ We have to get them out of there.
” Condemned inmates are not eligible for COVID-19 emergency release , while those serving life sentences without possibility of parole can be freed only if the governor grants clemency .
California has more than 5,000 people who are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole , including about 200 women — the largest such population in the country , according to advocates .
Others are also seeking clemency during the pandemic .
At 71 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institution for Women since 1979 , when she was convicted of first-degree murder and second-degree murder in two separate cases that occurred five years apart , both involving men who were shot in the head , according to media reports .
Rasul ’ s advocates said her crimes stemmed from being in an abusive relationship .
Rasul said she dreamed about simple things like scrambling her own eggs or crossing the street .
She is seeking clemency for medical reasons , including requiring a walker for mobility .
“ I have tried my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 41 years by obtaining three associates degrees , completing countless self-help groups and have obtained great insight into my life as well as my crime , ” she said in an email .
“ The opportunity to regain my freedom would mean that I would not be doomed to die in prison , but instead spend the last years of my life breathing the sweet air of freedom , ” she added .
“ I would have a chance to regain my dignity.
” While Rasul awaits word on her clemency bid , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s decision to release Williams and another inmate convicted of unrelated violent crimes , with little advance notice and almost no explanation .
At her trial in 2001 , Williams told jurors that her boyfriend had threatened and stalked her , and that she killed him in self-defense .
A psychotherapist testifying on her behalf said she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from multiple past rapes and abuse beginning when she was 11 , but the court ruled the evidence of past trauma was not relevant and did not allow the jury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records .
The jury took little time to find her guilty .
“ Everyone assumed she would never see freedom again , ” Yolo County Assistant Chief Deputy Dist .
Atty .
Melinda Aiello told The Times a week after Williams walked out of prison .
“ While Corrections told us they were releasing her just a few days before , there is no transparency , and we have no other explanation for her release , ” Aiello said .
“ There is no reason for failing to listen to the family of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corrections officials said Williams was released for medical reasons but would not provide details about her condition .
Yolo County Public Defender Tracie Olson confirmed Williams had a serious medical condition and said her office had been working since 2018 to have Williams set free .
Olson said Williams was “ the exact type of person that should be released early ” and that she believed Williams would have been freed under reforms for youthful offenders or a commutation presented to Newsom if the medical release had not happened .
“ She did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do , ” said Olson .
In late July , the state also freed Santiago Cruz , 65 , who was serving a 125-year sentence on his conviction for criminal threats in 1997 under California ’ s three-strikes law .
Cruz repeatedly harassed his ex-wife , stalked her boyfriend and tossed a Molotov cocktail at their home as they slept , Aiello said .
He also phoned the 18-year-old daughter of the new boyfriend and “ threatened to rape her while her father watched , kill her and then kill her father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cruz was disabled and would have been eligible for parole in 2021 .
Aiello said Yolo prosecutors had to scramble to find Cruz ’ s victims and warn them about his release .
As in Williams ’ case , Aiello said , the state provided no explanation .
Cruz ’ s ex-wife says she feels she “ is now the one in prison , ” according to a statement provided to the Yolo County District Attorney .
“ A dangerous person is being released into society again , ” Aiello said , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her .
”

Richard Winton, Anita Chabria, Kim Christensen

Activists call for prisoner release at a news conference by Gov. Gavin Newsom in San Quentin, Calif. It’s been unclear which California prison inmates are being chosen for release and how, prompting ire among some victims’ families.
Terebea Williams was 22 when she shot her boyfriend, drove 750 miles with him bleeding in the trunk of his own car and then dragged him into a Northern California motel, tied him to a chair and left him to die.
Convicted of murder, carjacking and kidnapping, Williams went on to earn a college degree during her 19 years in prison, where she also mentored younger inmates and was lauded by administrators for her “exceptional conduct” while incarcerated.
The contrasting portraits of Williams as stone-cold killer and rehabilitated model prisoner highlight the difficulties in a plan to release thousands of California inmates to curb the spread of COVID-19, which has killed at least 52 of those incarcerated and sickened more than 8,700 others.
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This spring, the state expedited the release of 3,500 inmates because of the coronavirus, and in July it freed 2,345 others early. Thousands more are eligible for release, including at least 6,500 deemed to be at high risk because of medical conditions that make them especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
Although Gov. Gavin Newsom and corrections officials have focused on freeing nonviolent offenders, they also are letting out people who, like Williams, have committed violent crimes but have serious medical conditions.
Williams, 44, walked out of a women’s prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on July 29, lopping decades off her 84-years-to-life sentence for killing Kevin “John” Ruska Jr., who died of infection from a gunshot wound to the gut.
Some prisoners’ rights advocates say Williams exemplifies the type of inmate who should be released — one who has already served a lengthy sentence, poses a low risk of reoffending and is particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. Some are also pushing to expand the criteria for early releases to include similar types of inmates now serving life without parole for murder.
Terebea Williams, 44, was given an emergency COVID-19 release from prison on July 29. She was serving an 84-years-to-life sentence for murder.
(California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
But in Williams’ case and others, officials have drawn the ire of prosecutors, victims’ rights advocates and family members amid questions about which and how many inmates are being released — and whether it is being done with enough transparency to protect the public.
“The governor of California, Terebea’s public defender and the politicians of California have used COVID to allow this cold, calculated, lying, unremorseful murderer out of jail 65 years early, without giving the victim, Johnny, a voice,” said Ruska’s cousin, Karri Phillips.
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Opinion Editorial: Every prison cell is now a coronavirus death row The COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin was predictable because of the prison’s layout and the simple truth that viruses will spread in packed spaces.
Whether violent felons should be paroled has long been debated, but the matter has become more urgent because of the coronavirus and the troubled and chaotic way some nonviolent offenders have been set free. The process for determining who gets out and why is unclear, and some victims’ families say they have been blindsided by decisions.
Some inmates and their lawyers also say they have been kept in the dark about the selection process.
Brian Pomerantz, a defense attorney who represents a San Quentin inmate at high risk medically and within months of parole eligibility, petitioned a federal court on July 10 for an early release. But a month later, Pomerantz said, he still had heard nothing from the court or corrections officials on the fate of Anthony Waldrip, who has served 20 years of a 25-years-to-life sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Waldrip, now 54, did not own the gun and was moving it from a play area where an 8-year-old boy was showing it to his sister when police spotted him with the weapon, Pomerantz said, calling it a victimless crime.
“To the best of my knowledge, no one has even considered him for early release,” he said. “If the state is not releasing the least dangerous, the soonest eligible, the most medically vulnerable, or those without victims, what criteria are being utilized?”
The state’s release numbers are fluid and subject to parole regulations and the decisions of officials at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Some inmates are being freed on parole through regular channels, while others must meet such criteria as being within six or 12 months of the end of their sentences, depending on the prison.
Despite recent releases, many prisons remain at or over capacity, making it difficult to stop coronavirus from spreading. More releases are needed, said medical experts, to control the crisis and alleviate the risk that ill inmates will need hospitalizations in surrounding communities where healthcare systems are already stressed.
In a statement, corrections officials said that the 6,500 inmates identified as medically high-risk for COVID-19 were only “eligible for consideration” for release and would be evaluated “based upon public safety and public health considerations.”
“We take these decisions very seriously and continue to work with our law enforcement, public health, and community-based partners to address their concerns and work through this public health emergency together,” it said.
Advocates for compassionate releases argue that most of those being considered are older and unlikely to commit new violent crimes. They say that only people who have shown they are rehabilitated, often after decades behind bars, are eligible — and the releases ultimately are in line with reforms that have rolled back overly harsh sentences handed out decades ago in a tough-on-crime, three-strikes era.
“The safest person to be let back into our communities is a lifer, a lifer who has worked on himself, who has been to [Alcoholics Anonymous] for 20 years, who has done victim impact classes, who has unpacked childhood trauma,” said Karen McDaniel, founder of Place4Grace, which provides rides home to those recently released and advocates for prison reform.
“I any day would rather have a van full of lifers than a van full of guys who have just done a year,” she said.
Newsom, like Gov. Jerry Brown before him, has committed to reforming the criminal justice system with an eye toward lowering incarceration rates and prioritizing rehabilitation.
But the specter of a violent offender committing another heinous crime after release is every politician’s nightmare. Many recall the case of Willie Horton, a Massachusetts prisoner who committed a rape while out on an inmate furlough program, a much-publicized crime that helped doom then-Gov. Michael Dukakis’ presidential hopes in 1988.
“We still have an issue of should we only release violent or nonviolent offenders, and that is a political issue we shouldn’t be talking about when it comes to human lives,” said Michael Mendoza, who was sentenced to adult prison at age 15 for participating in a gang murder.
Mendoza, now executive director of the advocacy group #cut50, served 17 years before overhauls targeting youthful offenders made him eligible for parole in 2014.
He and others say studies have shown that those who have served long sentences already, whether their crimes were violent or not, are the least likely to reoffend — at a rate less than 5%, and for some demographics as low as 1%. And when they do reoffend, it often is for nonviolent crimes, such as drug possession or theft.
Some advocates contend that the pool of vulnerable inmates prioritized for early release should be expanded to include those with mental illness. Psychiatric services have been sharply cut back in many prisons dealing with outbreaks, they say, and suicides are a continuing problem.
Michael Bien, a lawyer involved in a long-running federal lawsuit over prison medical care, says many inmates with mental health needs face a mix of physical and psychological danger that should be taken into account.
“It’s like people locked in a closet in the middle of a fire,” Bien said. “We have to get them out of there.”
Condemned inmates are not eligible for COVID-19 emergency release, while those serving life sentences without possibility of parole can be freed only if the governor grants clemency. California has more than 5,000 people who are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole, including about 200 women — the largest such population in the country, according to advocates.
Others are also seeking clemency during the pandemic.
At 71, Ameenah Rasul has been in the California Institution for Women since 1979, when she was convicted of first-degree murder and second-degree murder in two separate cases that occurred five years apart, both involving men who were shot in the head, according to media reports. Rasul’s advocates said her crimes stemmed from being in an abusive relationship.
Rasul said she dreamed about simple things like scrambling her own eggs or crossing the street. She is seeking clemency for medical reasons, including requiring a walker for mobility.
“I have tried my best to better myself during the past 41 years by obtaining three associates degrees, completing countless self-help groups and have obtained great insight into my life as well as my crime,” she said in an email.
“The opportunity to regain my freedom would mean that I would not be doomed to die in prison, but instead spend the last years of my life breathing the sweet air of freedom,” she added. “I would have a chance to regain my dignity.”
While Rasul awaits word on her clemency bid, prosecutors in Yolo County denounced the state’s decision to release Williams and another inmate convicted of unrelated violent crimes, with little advance notice and almost no explanation.
At her trial in 2001, Williams told jurors that her boyfriend had threatened and stalked her, and that she killed him in self-defense.
A psychotherapist testifying on her behalf said she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from multiple past rapes and abuse beginning when she was 11, but the court ruled the evidence of past trauma was not relevant and did not allow the jury to hear it, according to court records.
The jury took little time to find her guilty.
“Everyone assumed she would never see freedom again,” Yolo County Assistant Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Melinda Aiello told The Times a week after Williams walked out of prison.
“While Corrections told us they were releasing her just a few days before, there is no transparency, and we have no other explanation for her release,” Aiello said. “There is no reason for failing to listen to the family of a victim who suffered truly horrifically.”
Corrections officials said Williams was released for medical reasons but would not provide details about her condition. Yolo County Public Defender Tracie Olson confirmed Williams had a serious medical condition and said her office had been working since 2018 to have Williams set free.
Olson said Williams was “the exact type of person that should be released early” and that she believed Williams would have been freed under reforms for youthful offenders or a commutation presented to Newsom if the medical release had not happened.
“She did all the work you would want anyone to do,” said Olson.
In late July, the state also freed Santiago Cruz, 65, who was serving a 125-year sentence on his conviction for criminal threats in 1997 under California’s three-strikes law.
Santiago Cruz, 65, was released in late July. He had been serving a 125-year-to-life sentence on his conviction for criminal threats under California’s three-strikes law.
(California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
Cruz repeatedly harassed his ex-wife, stalked her boyfriend and tossed a Molotov cocktail at their home as they slept, Aiello said. He also phoned the 18-year-old daughter of the new boyfriend and “threatened to rape her while her father watched, kill her and then kill her father,” Aiello said.
Olson said Cruz was disabled and would have been eligible for parole in 2021.
Aiello said Yolo prosecutors had to scramble to find Cruz’s victims and warn them about his release. As in Williams’ case, Aiello said, the state provided no explanation.
Cruz’s ex-wife says she feels she “is now the one in prison,” according to a statement provided to the Yolo County District Attorney.
“A dangerous person is being released into society again,” Aiello said, “and it’s not fair to her.”


latimes--2020-08-08--Griffith Park's beloved carousel man, Julio Gosdinski, has died at age 49

For decades , children have come from all over to ride the Griffith Park carousel .
What often kept them coming back was the friendly man with the big smile who operated the nearly 100-year-old merry-go-round .
Julio Gosdinski , a native of Peru who began working at the attraction as a teenager and became so devoted to it that the owner eventually made him co-owner , died Friday .
He was 49 .
“ He had this magic , this magnetic personality people were drawn to , ” said Kei Nguyen , who had known him for years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s assistant at an elementary school in Atwater Village .
Around Atwater , Gosdinski was a familiar face .
People remembered him from high school , from holiday events and from summer movie nights where he often volunteered his time .
Some had gotten to know him as teenagers , when they worked for him at the hand-painted merry-go-round .
Emerald Guzman , 23 , of Elysian Valley began working for him after high school .
Gosdinski used to start the shift on sunny mornings by huddling his team next to his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his workers breakfast burritos or pastries or bring them home-cooked meals prepared by his mom .
He ’ d teach them to have fun with his tiny customers by playing peekaboo and giving out free popcorn and hot dogs .
“ It always felt as if he was thinking about us before thinking of himself , ” said Guzman , who is now a teacher ’ s assistant , a job Gosdinski helped her find .
The blue-eyed man , who some say looked half his age , used to love jumping on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids .
And if parents or anyone inquired about the history or mechanics of the merry-go-round , his face would light up .
He ’ d guide them on an extensive tour , telling them about the vintage Stinson 165 Military Band organ or how some of his 66 horses , “ all jumpers , ” date back to 1895 .
He ’ d named a few over the years : A big horse with gold reins was known as Esme , and a feisty one that no one was allowed to ride @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was El Diablo .
In 2017 , Gosdinski recounted his life story to KQED .
His journey and close bond with the carousel ’ s late owner , Warren Deasy , also became part of a film called “ Julio ’ s Dream.
” “ That carousel was his life , ” said Anneliesse Gosdinski-Espinoza , Gosdinski ’ s younger sister .
And Deasy was like a father to him .
Other teenagers stuck around for a summer or a few years , but Gosdinski loyally worked the ride for about three decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : They ’ d meet each week for breakfast .
When Deasy died in 2011 , he left Gosdinski a rare gift : He made him co-owner of the ride .
( Partner Rosemary West owns the other half . )
“ My brother was devastated to lose Warren , ” said Gosdinski-Espinoza .
“ It also came as a total shock to him that he would leave him such a lovely gift.
” On Saturday , the family struggled to speak about their loss , their voices shaking with each sentence .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gosdinski was affectionate and playful .
He took care of his mom and was attached to his dog , a schnauzer mix who sometimes joined him at the carousel .
When customers asked for the dog ’ s name , Gosdinski would tell them : “ Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the Third.
” Also known as Dot .
Gosdinski-Espinoza said her brother had not been feeling well for several days .
The family was waiting to hear back from the coroner on the cause of death .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thinking of ways to honor the carousel man .
One neighbor created a fund to help his family .
Gerry Hans , president of Friends of Griffith Park , said the group had recently secured funding to retune the carousel ’ s organ and fix some of the lights .
“ We ’ ll be dedicating those repairs to Julio , ” Hans said .
Guzman , the young woman from Elysian Valley who worked at the ride for four years , was struggling , like many others , to accept that Gosdinski @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the carousel is closed , but she planned to walk up to the park on Sunday and find a place to sit next to the galloping horses .
“ I want to remember him and say thank you , ” Guzman said .

Julio Gosdinski in 2015 with one of his happy carousel customers, Juna Nguyen, now 10.
For decades, children have come from all over to ride the Griffith Park carousel.
What often kept them coming back was the friendly man with the big smile who operated the nearly 100-year-old merry-go-round.
Julio Gosdinski, a native of Peru who began working at the attraction as a teenager and became so devoted to it that the owner eventually made him co-owner, died Friday. He was 49.
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“He had this magic, this magnetic personality people were drawn to,” said Kei Nguyen, who had known him for years, back to when Gosdinski was a teacher’s assistant at an elementary school in Atwater Village.
Around Atwater, Gosdinski was a familiar face. People remembered him from high school, from holiday events and from summer movie nights where he often volunteered his time. Some had gotten to know him as teenagers, when they worked for him at the hand-painted merry-go-round.
Emerald Guzman, 23, of Elysian Valley began working for him after high school. Gosdinski used to start the shift on sunny mornings by huddling his team next to his galloping horses. He’d buy his workers breakfast burritos or pastries or bring them home-cooked meals prepared by his mom. He’d teach them to have fun with his tiny customers by playing peekaboo and giving out free popcorn and hot dogs.
“It always felt as if he was thinking about us before thinking of himself,” said Guzman, who is now a teacher’s assistant, a job Gosdinski helped her find.
Julio Gosdinski welcomes riders to the Griffith Park carousel, where he worked for three decades. (Kathryn Louyse)
The blue-eyed man, who some say looked half his age, used to love jumping on and off the carousel mid-ride to impress kids. And if parents or anyone inquired about the history or mechanics of the merry-go-round, his face would light up. He’d guide them on an extensive tour, telling them about the vintage Stinson 165 Military Band organ or how some of his 66 horses, “all jumpers,” date back to 1895.
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He’d named a few over the years: A big horse with gold reins was known as Esme, and a feisty one that no one was allowed to ride because it’d instantly break down was El Diablo.
In 2017, Gosdinski recounted his life story to KQED. His journey and close bond with the carousel’s late owner, Warren Deasy, also became part of a film called “Julio’s Dream.”
“That carousel was his life,” said Anneliesse Gosdinski-Espinoza, Gosdinski’s younger sister.
And Deasy was like a father to him. Other teenagers stuck around for a summer or a few years, but Gosdinski loyally worked the ride for about three decades. He and Deasy had a ritual: They’d meet each week for breakfast. When Deasy died in 2011, he left Gosdinski a rare gift: He made him co-owner of the ride. (Partner Rosemary West owns the other half.)
“My brother was devastated to lose Warren,” said Gosdinski-Espinoza. “It also came as a total shock to him that he would leave him such a lovely gift.”
On Saturday, the family struggled to speak about their loss, their voices shaking with each sentence. They said that, at home, Gosdinski was affectionate and playful. He took care of his mom and was attached to his dog, a schnauzer mix who sometimes joined him at the carousel. When customers asked for the dog’s name, Gosdinski would tell them: “Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the Third.”
Also known as Dot.
Gosdinski-Espinoza said her brother had not been feeling well for several days. The family was waiting to hear back from the coroner on the cause of death.
In Atwater, those who knew him were thinking of ways to honor the carousel man. One neighbor created a fund to help his family.
Gerry Hans, president of Friends of Griffith Park, said the group had recently secured funding to retune the carousel’s organ and fix some of the lights.
“We’ll be dedicating those repairs to Julio,” Hans said.
Guzman, the young woman from Elysian Valley who worked at the ride for four years, was struggling, like many others, to accept that Gosdinski was gone. Due to the pandemic, the carousel is closed, but she planned to walk up to the park on Sunday and find a place to sit next to the galloping horses.
“I want to remember him and say thank you,” Guzman said.


latimes--2020-08-10--Latino workers bear brunt of second wave of COVID-19 in ritzy Marin County

On a warm evening in late June , people flocked to alfresco tables set up along this town ’ s main drag to sip Sauvignon Blanc and eat wood-oven pizza for Dining Under the Lights , an event to welcome Marin County residents back to one of their favorite pastimes .
About a mile away , Crisalia Calderon was hunkered down in her apartment facing a sleepless night as she grappled with the early symptoms of COVID-19 .
The 29-year-old housecleaner and her husband , Henry , a construction worker , both suffered terrible back pain , and she struggled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried to sleep , I felt like I was drowning , ” she said recently , speaking in Spanish through an interpreter .
A few days earlier , Henry had called her sobbing from a hospital emergency room after testing positive for the coronavirus .
The couple and their three small children share their Canal neighborhood flat with Crisalia ’ s sister and her four family members .
“ He didn ’ t want to come home , ” she said .
“ But what could we do ?
Where could he go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to isolate himself in the top bunk of one of their kids ’ beds .
But it was too late .
Within about a week , all but two of the 10 people in the household had tested positive for the virus .
Low-income communities of color — especially Latinos — are increasingly bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic in California , where spreading infections among poor service workers living in crowded conditions has highlighted widening racial and economic inequities .
These disparities are particularly stark in idyllic Marin , where a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowded Latin American neighborhood has helped land the county on the state ’ s pandemic watchlist .
Latinos , who are 16 % of the county ’ s population , account for 75 % of coronavirus infections , according to Dr. Matt Willis , the public health officer for Marin County .
After recording only a handful of cases in the early months of the pandemic , the county now has the highest per capita rate in the San Francisco Bay Area .
“ This is our essential workforce , ” said Willis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result of casual socializing at happy hour.
” The Canal , named for the waterway on its northern border that was once San Rafael ’ s commercial waterfront , is a flat , densely populated district in a suburb famous for its wooded hillside hamlets and multimillion-dollar vistas .
The Canal ’ s 2½ square miles are dotted by auto shops , scruffy palm trees and rows of low-slung apartment buildings occupied by immigrants from countries such as Mexico , Guatemala and El Salvador .
An influx of young Latinos has nearly tripled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1990s .
“ It ’ s like a Hispanic village where everybody knows everybody else , ” said Jennifer Tores , 22 , a Canal native who works at a discount clothing store .
The laborers of the Canal are both a world away from and intimately connected to well-heeled towns like San Anselmo and Tiburon , where they clean mansions , wax Teslas and steam milk for $ 6 lattes .
More than half of families in the neighborhood earn less than $ 35,000 a year , in a county where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ People are often squeezed two or three families to an apartment in order to afford Marin ’ s infamously high rents .
The Calderons live paycheck to paycheck to cover their half of the $ 2,100 monthly rent while also managing to send money back home to relatives in Guatemala .
Willis said such living arrangements “ can easily translate one case of COVID-19 into five or 10.
” Even more contagious than the virus is the misinformation that ’ s spread quickly through the Latino community , including a rumor that local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that beer is a cure .
Confused and isolated at home in quarantine for several weeks with her entire family , Crisalia Calderon began to worry .
“ I was getting really scared , ” she said .
“ We were running out of food and money.
” She spent hours dialing county officials and local nonprofits , but no one called back .
Finally , someone at a community organization promised to deliver meals to the family , but all that arrived the next day was some expired ground meat and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same informal safety net she ’ d relied on in the rural village she left at 16 to migrate north .
A fellow Guatemalan neighbor went to Costco and brought her ibuprofen for the aches and fever , and diapers and PediaSure for the kids , who are 5 , 3 , and 2 .
Someone else brought vegetables , milk and beans from a Latin American market .
After three hours on the phone , Calderon managed to qualify for $ 500 in state coronavirus aid for undocumented residents .
Willis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a neighborhood group , to provide support to residents who contract the virus — in the form of cash and hotel rooms to isolate the infected .
The county is recruiting bilingual contact tracers from the Latino community .
Marin is one of California ’ s healthiest , wealthiest and best-educated counties — and also one of the most segregated .
The county has fiercely preserved its natural beauty and wide-open spaces over the years , often at the cost of public transit and affordable housing .
A 2012 report on Marin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed that fewer than half of adults in the Canal had a high school diploma .
It ranked the neighborhood ’ s nearly 12,000 residents dead last among the county ’ s 51 census tracts for community well-being and opportunity .
In light of these disparities , it ’ s not surprising that people like Calderon are falling through the cracks , said Omar Carrera , Canal Alliance ’ s chief executive .
“ These people were in survival mode before COVID-19 , ” Carrera said on a recent afternoon , standing before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s headquarters .
People had been lining up since 7 a.m. for free coronavirus testing that began at 1 p.m. Health officials are scrambling to keep pace with demand for tests as infections have surged and employers such as gas stations and grocery stores have started requiring workers to be tested regularly .
An average of 20 % of Canal tests are coming back positive .
On some days , the positivity rate has been as high as 40 % , said Willis .
With many of the infected showing few or no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this relatively young community .
But people around here have to go to work , so life continues mostly as usual in the Canal .
Day laborers still gather in the parking lots at dawn ; vendors set up at street corners beneath colorful umbrellas to hawk roasted corn or bags of fruit .
Across California , low-paid workers fear losing their jobs and incomes , and that has made some reluctant to get tested or to quarantine .
Undocumented residents also tend to avoid interacting with hospitals and health officials out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At the same time , conspiracy theories continue to multiply .
One circulating in Spanish on social media holds that the virus is a government plot .
Another says local testing sites are reusing dirty test swabs to deliberately infect people .
The rumors have fed a climate of fear and silence around the virus .
One resident said neighbors painted an “ X ” on the front door of a friend of her husband ’ s to warn others that he was infected .
Crisalia Calderon and her family have all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but still , “ there are neighbors who run away from us , ” she said .
She waits until late at night , when no one else is around in her building , to do the laundry .
The other day , Calderon decided it was finally time to ask her landlord to come to her apartment to fix a long-festering plumbing problem and some broken stove burners .
But he said he couldn ’ t come .
He was home sick with COVID-19 .
This story was produced by Kaiser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publishes California Healthline , an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation .
KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente .

Jennifer Tores, a lifelong resident of the Canal in Marin County, arrived at the local COVID-19 testing site 8 a.m. to get in line. The neighborhood is one of the most heavily tested communities in the state, say health officials, who are struggling to control the spread of the virus.
On a warm evening in late June, people flocked to alfresco tables set up along this town’s main drag to sip Sauvignon Blanc and eat wood-oven pizza for Dining Under the Lights, an event to welcome Marin County residents back to one of their favorite pastimes.
About a mile away, Crisalia Calderon was hunkered down in her apartment facing a sleepless night as she grappled with the early symptoms of COVID-19.
The 29-year-old housecleaner and her husband, Henry, a construction worker, both suffered terrible back pain, and she struggled to breathe. “Every time I tried to sleep, I felt like I was drowning,” she said recently, speaking in Spanish through an interpreter.
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A few days earlier, Henry had called her sobbing from a hospital emergency room after testing positive for the coronavirus. The couple and their three small children share their Canal neighborhood flat with Crisalia’s sister and her four family members. “He didn’t want to come home,” she said. “But what could we do? Where could he go?”
At home, Henry tried to isolate himself in the top bunk of one of their kids’ beds. But it was too late. Within about a week, all but two of the 10 people in the household had tested positive for the virus.
Low-income communities of color — especially Latinos — are increasingly bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic in California, where spreading infections among poor service workers living in crowded conditions has highlighted widening racial and economic inequities. These disparities are particularly stark in idyllic Marin, where a surge of new cases concentrated in one crowded Latin American neighborhood has helped land the county on the state’s pandemic watchlist.
Latinos, who are 16% of the county’s population, account for 75% of coronavirus infections, according to Dr. Matt Willis, the public health officer for Marin County. After recording only a handful of cases in the early months of the pandemic, the county now has the highest per capita rate in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“This is our essential workforce,” said Willis. “This isn’t the result of casual socializing at happy hour.”
The Canal, named for the waterway on its northern border that was once San Rafael’s commercial waterfront, is a flat, densely populated district in a suburb famous for its wooded hillside hamlets and multimillion-dollar vistas. The Canal’s 2½ square miles are dotted by auto shops, scruffy palm trees and rows of low-slung apartment buildings occupied by immigrants from countries such as Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador. An influx of young Latinos has nearly tripled the neighborhood’s population since the 1990s.
“It’s like a Hispanic village where everybody knows everybody else,” said Jennifer Tores, 22, a Canal native who works at a discount clothing store.
The laborers of the Canal are both a world away from and intimately connected to well-heeled towns like San Anselmo and Tiburon, where they clean mansions, wax Teslas and steam milk for $6 lattes.
More than half of families in the neighborhood earn less than $35,000 a year, in a county where the median income is almost triple that. People are often squeezed two or three families to an apartment in order to afford Marin’s infamously high rents. The Calderons live paycheck to paycheck to cover their half of the $2,100 monthly rent while also managing to send money back home to relatives in Guatemala.
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Willis said such living arrangements “can easily translate one case of COVID-19 into five or 10.”
Even more contagious than the virus is the misinformation that’s spread quickly through the Latino community, including a rumor that local testing sites were infecting people and claims that beer is a cure.
Confused and isolated at home in quarantine for several weeks with her entire family, Crisalia Calderon began to worry. “I was getting really scared,” she said. “We were running out of food and money.”
She spent hours dialing county officials and local nonprofits, but no one called back. Finally, someone at a community organization promised to deliver meals to the family, but all that arrived the next day was some expired ground meat and a few potatoes.
So Calderon turned to the same informal safety net she’d relied on in the rural village she left at 16 to migrate north. A fellow Guatemalan neighbor went to Costco and brought her ibuprofen for the aches and fever, and diapers and PediaSure for the kids, who are 5, 3, and 2. Someone else brought vegetables, milk and beans from a Latin American market. After three hours on the phone, Calderon managed to qualify for $500 in state coronavirus aid for undocumented residents.
Willis said officials are working with Canal Alliance, a neighborhood group, to provide support to residents who contract the virus — in the form of cash and hotel rooms to isolate the infected. The county is recruiting bilingual contact tracers from the Latino community.
Marin is one of California’s healthiest, wealthiest and best-educated counties — and also one of the most segregated. The county has fiercely preserved its natural beauty and wide-open spaces over the years, often at the cost of public transit and affordable housing.
A 2012 report on Marin County by the American Human Development Project showed that fewer than half of adults in the Canal had a high school diploma. It ranked the neighborhood’s nearly 12,000 residents dead last among the county’s 51 census tracts for community well-being and opportunity.
In light of these disparities, it’s not surprising that people like Calderon are falling through the cracks, said Omar Carrera, Canal Alliance’s chief executive.
Canal Alliance CEO Omar Carerra oversees free coronavirus testing outside the group’s headquarters in Marin County. “The conditions in this neighborhood are a like perfect storm for a virus like this,” he said. (Rachel Scheier / California Healthline)
“These people were in survival mode before COVID-19,” Carrera said on a recent afternoon, standing before a mural that adorns the group’s headquarters. People had been lining up since 7 a.m. for free coronavirus testing that began at 1 p.m. Health officials are scrambling to keep pace with demand for tests as infections have surged and employers such as gas stations and grocery stores have started requiring workers to be tested regularly.
An average of 20% of Canal tests are coming back positive. On some days, the positivity rate has been as high as 40%, said Willis. With many of the infected showing few or no symptoms, the virus has raced through this relatively young community.
But people around here have to go to work, so life continues mostly as usual in the Canal. Day laborers still gather in the parking lots at dawn; vendors set up at street corners beneath colorful umbrellas to hawk roasted corn or bags of fruit.
Across California, low-paid workers fear losing their jobs and incomes, and that has made some reluctant to get tested or to quarantine. Undocumented residents also tend to avoid interacting with hospitals and health officials out of concerns that they’ll be deported.
At the same time, conspiracy theories continue to multiply. One circulating in Spanish on social media holds that the virus is a government plot. Another says local testing sites are reusing dirty test swabs to deliberately infect people. The rumors have fed a climate of fear and silence around the virus.
One resident said neighbors painted an “X” on the front door of a friend of her husband’s to warn others that he was infected.
Crisalia Calderon and her family have all recovered and since tested negative for COVID-19, but still, “there are neighbors who run away from us,” she said. She waits until late at night, when no one else is around in her building, to do the laundry.
The other day, Calderon decided it was finally time to ask her landlord to come to her apartment to fix a long-festering plumbing problem and some broken stove burners. But he said he couldn’t come. He was home sick with COVID-19.
This story was produced by Kaiser Health News (KHN), which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.


latimes--2020-08-10--An all-star economic task force is advising Newsom during the pandemic. Little is known about its wo

An all-star economic task force is advising Newsom during the pandemic. Little is known about its work

Faced with a pandemic that has put millions of Californians out of work and eviscerated businesses large and small , Gov .
Gavin Newsom promised that “ health and science ” would guide state officials in repairing the economy and steering it toward recovery .
But as Newsom rapidly reopened the state in May , he also received advice from an all-star roster of business titans .
The Governor ’ s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery is a 108-member group that counts former California governors , Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook , Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yellen among its members .
For all the boldface names and huge stakes , little is known about the task force , including how extensive a role the group played in shaping the decisions to reopen California .
The task force has operated almost entirely behind closed doors , and those appointed were not required to submit state government financial disclosure forms listing their assets and business interests , which would show potential conflicts .
Newsom administration officials said the task force is just an advisory panel and has no authority to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are private so members can share their opinions openly .
Still , the governor has relied on the group ’ s recommendations to help shape his administration ’ s response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Members were consulted about safeguards for reopening retailers and other sectors of the economy , including guidelines calling for workers and patrons inside stores and other businesses to wear face coverings .
The group has also urged Newsom to expand upon the $ 75 million set aside in the state budget for small-business loans .
Months after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , few details about its work have been made public , falling short of Newsom ’ s pledge that the group would “ demonstrate meaningful reforms , meaningful changes , working on bonds , working on all kinds of financial mechanisms to jump-start this economy.
” And what has been unveiled has been limited in scope .
The task force told The Times it has reached out to internet service providers and computer suppliers to help bridge the “ digital divide ” among California students and asked them to offer affordable broadband @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that the group has worked on a training-based jobs program and marketing campaigns to help small businesses and slow the spread of the coronavirus .
Some in Sacramento say they are still waiting for the big ideas promised by Newsom when he announced the group in April .
“ The idea was to bring California ’ s best minds and brainpower .
What ’ s there to account for that ?
” said Steve Maviglio , a Democratic strategist who served as press secretary to then-Gov .
Gray Davis .
“ Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic stimulus — and California hasn ’ t .
That makes no sense.
” Ann O ’ Leary , task force co-chair and Newsom ’ s chief of staff , said Californians can expect to see concrete initiatives from the group soon .
She said the task force is discussing more long-range , big-ticket ideas to address issues related to the California economy , including racial inequities and combating climate change , and is exploring whether some of the beneficial side effects of the work and lifestyle changes caused by the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to many Californians working from home , can be maintained in a retooled California economy .
“ Leaders who we asked to help us really took the call to action seriously , ” she said .
Since its creation , members of the governor ’ s task force — which also includes Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong — have gathered every other week for a one-hour Zoom video call , with Newsom offering opening remarks .
The panel has five subcommittees — focused on topics including small business , climate and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles developer Rick Caruso , a member of the task force , said that government advisory panels often lose steam over time and that those who are initially appointed as members have proxies attend in their place .
That ’ s not been the case on this committee , he said .
“ I think this has been one of the most productive [ committees ] , and the reason is the governor has stayed very engaged , ” said Caruso , who has served on the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Jamie Court of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog criticized the lack of transparency on the task force , which he likened to a “ star chamber.
” “ It ’ s the worst type of construct for the public because you don ’ t know what is being said and what information is being given to the governor , ” Court said .
Most alarming , Court said , was the decision to appoint representatives from Southern California Edison and Aera Energy , a partnership of Shell Oil and ExxonMobil , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ leveraging innovation and climate.
” “ It shows that this committee is being used to propagate the ideas of big business and not to target climate change proposals to actually limit the exploitation of the earth and the slowing of climate change , ” he said .
Task force co-chair Tom Steyer , a billionaire former hedge fund manager , climate change activist and onetime presidential candidate , said members checked their personal and partisan interests “ at the door.
” Still , Steyer said , the task force members could have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they ’ ve been up to .
“ This is an advisory group .
The decisions are made by the governor , ” Steyer said .
“ We ’ re bringing people to the table that reflect big businesses across California , little businesses across the board , every geographic area , community leaders and community groups and nonprofit leaders.
” Steyer said the panel has reviewed dozens of proposals to help kick-start California ’ s economy in an expeditious , long-lasting and equitable way .
Steyer said he recently spoke to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see what can be done to accelerate their projects in ways that do not require state financial assistance .
“ We are advising the governor on different financing options specifically in infrastructure , clean energy and bridging the digital divide , ” Steyer said .
Micah Weinberg of California Forward , a nonprofit focused on improving government performance and economic growth , praised the proposals to accelerate infrastructure projects throughout California , noting that billions of dollars in previously approved bond money is readily available .
But he said the group should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racial disparities in California ’ s economy and cultivate the growth of Black- and Latino-owned businesses .
“ I think there ’ s an opportunity for more bold leadership … on some of these issues , ” Weinberg said .
“ It strikes me as the time to be taking bigger risks to deliver for the people in California.
” The Newsom administration and the California Legislature need to provide measures that shield small businesses from liability claims and also thin out the thicket of state regulations that impede growth and investment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re serious about small businesses , and this is especially true for minority-owned small businesses , that ’ s going to have to be added to this agenda , ” Weinberg said .
Task force member Angela Glover Blackwell , the founder of PolicyLink , a nonprofit group that promotes policies to help disadvantaged Americans , said the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the devastating consequences of racial inequity in California .
Not only are Black and Latino people more likely to be part of the essential workforce , they ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black , Latino and rural students are less likely to have internet access at home , which will lead to dire consequences when most California schools begin the academic year with closed classrooms and distance learning , Blackwell said .
“ The issues are bigger than tax breaks for small business , ” she said .
Blackwell added that more proposals are coming and that the task force , given the large size of its membership and what it is trying to accomplish , is working “ well enough.
” Economist William Yu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that of the ideas from the task force , accelerating infrastructure projects may be the easiest and most effective way to stimulate the state ’ s economy .
But he said rescuing businesses and the workforce depends mostly on the federal government ’ s response .
The Coronavirus Aid , Relief and Economic Security Act , a $ 2-trillion bipartisan stimulus package signed in March by President Trump , provided special unemployment benefits and offered small businesses critical financial assistance at the height of the pandemic .
But the benefits expired at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new financial relief package has stalled in Washington .
Yu said it ’ s essential that Congress act quickly and decisively .
“ Otherwise we ’ re going to see what happened in the early 1930s in the Great Depression , ” he said .

Jason Ruckart, managing partner at Roy’s restaurant in Woodland Hills, hands chopsticks to Nicole Lehning and her husband, Kyle, as they dine outdoors in what was previously the valet parking area.
Faced with a pandemic that has put millions of Californians out of work and eviscerated businesses large and small, Gov. Gavin Newsom promised that “health and science” would guide state officials in repairing the economy and steering it toward recovery.
But as Newsom rapidly reopened the state in May, he also received advice from an all-star roster of business titans. The Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery is a 108-member group that counts former California governors, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger and former Federal Reserve Board Chairwoman Janet L. Yellen among its members.
For all the boldface names and huge stakes, little is known about the task force, including how extensive a role the group played in shaping the decisions to reopen California.
The task force has operated almost entirely behind closed doors, and those appointed were not required to submit state government financial disclosure forms listing their assets and business interests, which would show potential conflicts. Newsom administration officials said the task force is just an advisory panel and has no authority to make policy, and noted that the meetings are private so members can share their opinions openly.
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California Coronavirus surge turns the Southland inside out Second wave of coronavirus has businesses and the public moving from indoors to the great outdoors
Still, the governor has relied on the group’s recommendations to help shape his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members were consulted about safeguards for reopening retailers and other sectors of the economy, including guidelines calling for workers and patrons inside stores and other businesses to wear face coverings. The group has also urged Newsom to expand upon the $75 million set aside in the state budget for small-business loans.
Months after the governor called together the task force, however, few details about its work have been made public, falling short of Newsom’s pledge that the group would “demonstrate meaningful reforms, meaningful changes, working on bonds, working on all kinds of financial mechanisms to jump-start this economy.”
And what has been unveiled has been limited in scope. The task force told The Times it has reached out to internet service providers and computer suppliers to help bridge the “digital divide” among California students and asked them to offer affordable broadband access and donate devices, and it said that the group has worked on a training-based jobs program and marketing campaigns to help small businesses and slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Some in Sacramento say they are still waiting for the big ideas promised by Newsom when he announced the group in April.
“The idea was to bring California’s best minds and brainpower. What’s there to account for that?” said Steve Maviglio, a Democratic strategist who served as press secretary to then-Gov. Gray Davis. “Even Congress has been able to pass some economic stimulus — and California hasn’t. That makes no sense.”
Ann O’Leary, task force co-chair and Newsom’s chief of staff, said Californians can expect to see concrete initiatives from the group soon. She said the task force is discussing more long-range, big-ticket ideas to address issues related to the California economy, including racial inequities and combating climate change, and is exploring whether some of the beneficial side effects of the work and lifestyle changes caused by the pandemic, such as reduced traffic and pollution attributed to many Californians working from home, can be maintained in a retooled California economy.
“Leaders who we asked to help us really took the call to action seriously,” she said.
Since its creation, members of the governor’s task force — which also includes Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong — have gathered every other week for a one-hour Zoom video call, with Newsom offering opening remarks. The panel has five subcommittees — focused on topics including small business, climate and infrastructure — that meet weekly.
Los Angeles developer Rick Caruso, a member of the task force, said that government advisory panels often lose steam over time and that those who are initially appointed as members have proxies attend in their place. That’s not been the case on this committee, he said.
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“I think this has been one of the most productive [committees], and the reason is the governor has stayed very engaged,” said Caruso, who has served on the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission.
Jamie Court of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog criticized the lack of transparency on the task force, which he likened to a “star chamber.”
“It’s the worst type of construct for the public because you don’t know what is being said and what information is being given to the governor,” Court said.
Most alarming, Court said, was the decision to appoint representatives from Southern California Edison and Aera Energy, a partnership of Shell Oil and ExxonMobil, who serve on the task force subcommittee for “leveraging innovation and climate.”
“It shows that this committee is being used to propagate the ideas of big business and not to target climate change proposals to actually limit the exploitation of the earth and the slowing of climate change,” he said.
Task force co-chair Tom Steyer, a billionaire former hedge fund manager, climate change activist and onetime presidential candidate, said members checked their personal and partisan interests “at the door.” Still, Steyer said, the task force members could have done a better job letting Californians know what they’ve been up to.
“This is an advisory group. The decisions are made by the governor,” Steyer said. “We’re bringing people to the table that reflect big businesses across California, little businesses across the board, every geographic area, community leaders and community groups and nonprofit leaders.”
Steyer said the panel has reviewed dozens of proposals to help kick-start California’s economy in an expeditious, long-lasting and equitable way. Steyer said he recently spoke to leaders in the solar and wind industries to see what can be done to accelerate their projects in ways that do not require state financial assistance.
“We are advising the governor on different financing options specifically in infrastructure, clean energy and bridging the digital divide,” Steyer said.
Micah Weinberg of California Forward, a nonprofit focused on improving government performance and economic growth, praised the proposals to accelerate infrastructure projects throughout California, noting that billions of dollars in previously approved bond money is readily available.
But he said the group should be doing more to address geographic and racial disparities in California’s economy and cultivate the growth of Black- and Latino-owned businesses.
“I think there’s an opportunity for more bold leadership … on some of these issues,” Weinberg said. “It strikes me as the time to be taking bigger risks to deliver for the people in California.”
The Newsom administration and the California Legislature need to provide measures that shield small businesses from liability claims and also thin out the thicket of state regulations that impede growth and investment, he said.
“If we’re serious about small businesses, and this is especially true for minority-owned small businesses, that’s going to have to be added to this agenda,” Weinberg said.
Task force member Angela Glover Blackwell, the founder of PolicyLink, a nonprofit group that promotes policies to help disadvantaged Americans, said the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the devastating consequences of racial inequity in California.
Not only are Black and Latino people more likely to be part of the essential workforce, they’ve been disproportionally hit by the virus itself. Black, Latino and rural students are less likely to have internet access at home, which will lead to dire consequences when most California schools begin the academic year with closed classrooms and distance learning, Blackwell said.
“The issues are bigger than tax breaks for small business,” she said.
Blackwell added that more proposals are coming and that the task force, given the large size of its membership and what it is trying to accomplish, is working “well enough.”
Economist William Yu of the UCLA Anderson School of Management said that of the ideas from the task force, accelerating infrastructure projects may be the easiest and most effective way to stimulate the state’s economy. But he said rescuing businesses and the workforce depends mostly on the federal government’s response.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, a $2-trillion bipartisan stimulus package signed in March by President Trump, provided special unemployment benefits and offered small businesses critical financial assistance at the height of the pandemic. But the benefits expired at the end of July, and a new financial relief package has stalled in Washington.
Yu said it’s essential that Congress act quickly and decisively.
“Otherwise we’re going to see what happened in the early 1930s in the Great Depression,” he said.


latimes--2020-08-10--'Horrible sequence of mistakes': How bullet train contractors botched a bridge project

A series of errors by contractors and consultants on the California bullet train venture caused support cables to fail on the massive bridge , triggering a stop work order and further delaying a project already years behind schedule , The Times has learned .
The bridge is longer than two football fields and is needed to shuttle vehicles over the future bullet train right of way and existing BNSF freight tracks in Madera County .
Authorities have yet to finalize a plan to repair the bridge .
Late last year , crews installed temporary steel supports to prevent it from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obtained by The Times under a public records request show the steel supports snapped as a result of neglect , work damage , miscommunications and possible design problems .
“ It is a horrible sequence of mistakes , ” said Robert Bea , emeritus professor of civil engineering at UC Berkeley and co-founder of its Center for Catastrophic Risk Management .
The bridge is part of a 31-mile stretch of construction under contract to Tutor Perini Corp. , a major construction firm based in Sylmar .
The company declined to answer a series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The bridge is part of Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s plan for a 171-mile , $ 20.4-billion bullet train operation from Merced to Bakersfield .
The bridge work began in 2016 and was supposed to be completed in 12 months .
Relocation of underground utilities became a problem , as did other schedule glitches .
Months turned into years , during which thousands of residents were forced to take long detours around the site .
Then last year came a series of blunders .
High-strength steel strands supporting the 636-foot structure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one after another .
Ultimately , 23 of the strands , which are comprised of seven individual wires each , broke unexpectedly .
The order to stop work was issued Nov. 4 .
A forensic engineering analysis , obtained by The Times , found that the strands corroded from rainwater that had leaked into the internal structure of the bridge and then broke .
The analysis was prepared for Tutor Perini by the forensic engineering firm Wiss , Janney , Elstner Associates of Northbrook , Ill. Garth Fernandez , the rail authority ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said he was confident — based on the analysis , computations by designers and an inspection by Tutor — that once the bridge was repaired it would have its designed load-carrying capacity .
But Bea , a member of the National Academy of Engineering , says a more comprehensive examination of the structure is required to ensure its safety .
The problems on the Road 27 bridge reveal project management hitches that have dogged the bullet train for years .
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has five separate layers of consultants and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them could have identified a long series of errors but failed to do so .
Apart from those problems , the state issued a variety of nonconformance reports on the company ’ s work , including an instance where a crane boom hit part of the bridge construction , contaminated concrete was found in a bridge support pier , incorrect alignment occurred on a bridge pier , and steel dowel rods were missing in concrete , among other items .
Fernandez said the nonconformance reports showed that the authority ’ s quality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledged , “ We don ’ t like where we are right now.
” The authority is moving to strengthen its oversight of the project with additional engineers borrowed by Caltrans , he said .
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has long wrestled with its dependence on consultants and outside experts , with a 2018 state audit faulting the agency for being overly reliant on these private interests .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom told The Times in 2019 that he was “ going to get rid of a lot of consultants , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to engineering specialist and officials involved with bullet train planning .
“ The layers on this project are onerous , ” said William Ibbs , a UC Berkeley civil engineering professor who has consulted on high-speed-rail projects around the world .
“ The levels of administration and review are very unusual .
No one company is going to be wholly to blame if something goes wrong , because they can spread the blame around.
” “ It isn ’ t getting any better , ” said an executive at one firm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the news media .
“ It is such a pillage of the taxpayers.
” Some outside engineers compare the situation to the 2018 Miami International University disaster , in which multiple players failed to recognize defects in a pedestrian bridge that collapsed onto a roadway .
Six people were killed .
Eight were injured .
“ One of the criticisms of the Florida bridge collapse was the lack of responsibility up and down the chain of command , ” said USC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reviewing the forensic report on the Road 27 bridge , Brandow said , “ You have a hard time finding the actual chain of command .
I don ’ t think you know who was responsible.
” On the Madera bridge project , the reporting lines are complex .
Tutor Perini is the so-called design builder of the bridge , though its team member Parsons actually designed the bridge .
Tutor ’ s work is overseen by an independent check engineer , the New York-based firm STV .
And Parson ’ s work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engineer , also STV .
Above STV is a so-called project and construction manager , a joint venture of Bay Area firms PGH Wong Engineering and Harris & Associates , which manages the day-to-day contract .
Above Wong Harris is the state ’ s so-called rail delivery partner , Montreal-based WSP , which has broad oversight of the concept , design and execution of the project .
Finally , there is the state rail authority , a relatively small agency with problems of worker turnover .
The authority currently has 220 employees but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Its chief engineer retired a few months ago but is on board as a post-retirement annuitant .
In this tangle of organizations , lines of communication are strained , which clearly played a role in the failure of the bridge supports .
The bridge over Road 27 is known as a post-tension structure , a fairly common type of design used in buildings , parking structures and bridges .
High-strength steel strands are run inside ducts and then pulled to extremely high tension .
After tensioning , the ducts are pumped full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Road 27 bridge has five ducts in each of four girders , and the plan was to tension and grout three of them before the concrete roadway was poured and then tension strands in the other two afterward .
Before any stands were installed , the plan required that the ducts meet an air pressure test to assure that the grout would not leak .
The pressure test failed to meet specifications .
The failure might have been related to the design that had the ducts recessed from the ends of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There was some concern that if they tried to grout three of the ducts , the grout would migrate and fill the other two ducts , preventing installation of strands later .
Under its contract , Tutor was supposed to grout the ducts within 10 days of the strands ’ installation in April .
Tutor ’ s design firm , Parsons , wrote a “ field change notice ” that called for a delay in the grouting until all the strands in all of the ducts were installed , Fernandez said .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sat .
Fernandez and Christine Inouye , the rail authority ’ s director of engineering , said in an interview that STV never sent that notice to Wong Harris or to the rail authority .
“ In hindsight , we all should have been aware of it , ” said Fernandez .
“ Sometimes in a project of this complexity , these things happen.
” In April , the rail authority issued a notice of noncompliance to Tutor , saying its failure to grout the ducts violated its contract .
An internal audit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June 1 and obtained by The Times under its public records request , found that 72 % of STV ’ s contract requirements that were examined had nonconformances .
The specific findings faulted the company for not being on site at critical times , failing to file required reports and not having qualified personnel on the job , as well as other inadequacies .
STV said in a statement that it was working with the authority and Tutor Perini on the “ safety of all structures ” and referred questions to the rail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might have been OK if vent caps on the ducts had not leaked and it had not rained .
But crews that installed rebar on the highway deck apparently damaged those caps , and nobody , including STV or Wong Harris or Tutor Perini , noticed .
When crews later drained the ducts after the failure occurred , water “ poured out ” of one duct for five minutes , according to the forensic report .
The report found that the strands failed as a result of “ stress corrosion cracking.
” Brandow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corrode even before they were installed , according to the forensic report .
He said even minor corrosion on strands could initiate cracking .
The repair plan for the bridge calls for all the strands in all of the four girders to be replaced , Fernandez said .
Tutor had started to replace some of the strands shortly after they broke and was told he had to replace those a second time , according to a letter .
The plan is currently being reviewed by BNSF headquarters , which has the right to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracks .
Fernandez said Tutor would have to pay for the cost of the repairs .

A bridge in Madera County that’s part of the bullet train project, shown last week, had a serious problem with corroded tension strands that broke in December 2019.
A series of errors by contractors and consultants on the California bullet train venture caused support cables to fail on a massive bridge, triggering an order to stop work that further delayed a project already years behind schedule, the Los Angeles Times has learned.
The bridge is longer than two football fields and is needed to shuttle vehicles over the future bullet train right of way and existing BNSF freight tracks in Madera County.
Authorities have yet to finalize a plan to repair the bridge. Late last year, crews installed temporary steel supports to prevent it from collapsing.
Hundreds of pages of documents obtained by The Times under a public records request show the steel supports snapped as a result of neglect, work damage, miscommunications and possible design problems.
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“It is a horrible sequence of mistakes,” said Robert Bea, emeritus professor of civil engineering at UC Berkeley and co-founder of its Center for Catastrophic Risk Management.
The bridge is part of a 31-mile stretch of construction under contract to Tutor Perini Corp., a major construction firm based in Sylmar.
The bridge is part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan for a 171-mile, $20.4-billion bullet train operation from Merced to Bakersfield.
The bridge work began in 2016 and was supposed to be completed in 12 months. Relocation of underground utilities became a problem, as there were schedule glitches, according to rail authority and Madera County officials. Months turned into years, during which thousands of residents were forced to take long detours around the site.
Then last year came a series of blunders.
High-strength steel strands supporting the 636-foot-long structure began to snap on Oct. 22, one after another. Ultimately, 23 of the strands, which are composed of seven individual wires each, broke unexpectedly, according to rail authority documents and officials. The order to stop work was issued Nov. 4.
A forensic engineering analysis, obtained by The Times, found that the strands corroded from rainwater that had leaked into the internal structure of the bridge and then broke. The analysis was prepared for Tutor Perini by the forensic engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates of Northbrook, Ill.
In a statement issued after this story was published, Tutor Perini said that the breaks on the vent tubes “were small enough to not be seen, but large enough to allow water to intrude into the post-tensioning ducts.”
The statement went on to say that the proposed repair plan has been checked by an independent engineer and approved by the engineering staff of the rail authority. The cost was not disclosed, but the company described it as “nominal.”
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Garth Fernandez, the rail authority’s interim director for the central region, said he was confident — based on the analysis, computations by designers and an inspection by Tutor — that once the bridge is repaired it would have its designed load-carrying capacity. But Bea, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, says a more comprehensive examination of the structure is needed to ensure its safety.
The problems on the Road 27 bridge reveal project management hitches that have dogged the bullet train for years. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has five separate layers of consultants and contractors on the bridge. Any one of them could have identified a long series of errors, but it appears no one did so.
Apart from those problems, the state issued a variety of nonconformance reports on the company’s work, including an instance where a crane boom hit part of the bridge construction, contaminated concrete was found in a bridge support pier, incorrect alignment occurred on a bridge pier, and steel dowel rods were missing in concrete, among other items.
Fernandez said the nonconformance reports showed that the authority’s quality control program was working, though he acknowledged, “We don’t like where we are right now.” The authority is moving to strengthen its oversight of the project with additional engineers borrowed from Caltrans, he said.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has long wrestled with its dependence on consultants and outside experts, with a 2018 state audit faulting the agency for being overly reliant on these private interests.
California How California’s faltering high-speed rail project was ‘captured’ by costly consultants When California shifted its bullet train plan into high gear in 2008, it had just 10 employees to manage and oversee design of the largest public construction project in state history.
Gov. Gavin Newsom told The Times in 2019 that he was “going to get rid of a lot of consultants,” but they remain integral to the project, according to engineering specialists and officials involved with bullet train planning.
“The layers on this project are onerous,” said William Ibbs, a UC Berkeley civil engineering professor who has consulted on high-speed rail projects around the world. “The levels of administration and review are very unusual. No one company is going to be wholly to blame if something goes wrong, because they can spread the blame around.”
“It isn’t getting any better,” said an executive at one firm working on the project, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the news media. “It is such a pillage of the taxpayers.”
Some outside engineers compare the situation to the 2018 Florida International University disaster, in which multiple players failed to recognize defects in a pedestrian bridge that collapsed onto a Miami roadway. On the Madera County project, there has been no bridge failure or casualties, but in Miami, six people were killed. Eight were injured.
“One of the criticisms of the Florida bridge collapse was the lack of responsibility up and down the chain of command,” said USC civil engineering professor Gregg Brandow. After reviewing the forensic report on the Road 27 bridge, Brandow said, “You have a hard time finding the actual chain of command. I don’t think you know who was responsible.”
On the Madera County bridge project, the reporting lines are complex.
Tutor Perini is the so-called design builder of the bridge, though its team member Parsons actually designed the bridge.
Tutor’s work is overseen by an independent check engineer, the New York-based firm STV. And Parsons’ work is partly reviewed by an independent site engineer, also STV.
Above STV is a so-called project and construction manager, a joint venture of Bay Area firms PGH Wong Engineering and Harris & Associates, which manages the day-to-day contract.
Above the joint venture known as Wong Harris is the state’s so-called rail delivery partner, Montreal-based WSP, which has broad oversight of the concept, design and execution of the project.
Finally, there is the state rail authority, a relatively small agency with problems of worker turnover. The authority currently has 220 employees but 51 vacancies and no permanent board chairman. Its chief engineer retired a few months ago but is on board as a post-retirement annuitant.
In this tangle of organizations, lines of communication are strained, which clearly played a role in the failure of the bridge supports.
The bridge over Road 27 is known as a post-tension structure, a fairly common type of design used in buildings, parking structures and bridges. High-strength steel strands are run inside ducts and then pulled to extremely high tension. After tension is added, the ducts are pumped full of grout to protect the steel strands.
The Road 27 bridge has five ducts in each of four girders, and the plan was to tension and grout three of them before the concrete roadway was poured and then apply tension to the strands in the other two afterward.
Before any strands were installed, the plan required that the ducts meet an air pressure test to assure that the grout would not leak. The pressure test failed to meet specifications, according to state documents. The failure might have been related to the design that had the ducts recessed from the ends of each girder segment, Fernandez said. There was some concern that if they tried to grout three of the ducts, the grout would migrate and fill the other two ducts, preventing installation of strands later.
Under its contract, Tutor was supposed to grout the ducts within 10 days of the strands’ installation in April. Tutor’s design firm, Parsons, wrote a “field change notice” that called for a delay in the grouting until all the strands in all of the ducts were installed, Fernandez said.
It was submitted to STV, where it sat. Fernandez and Christine Inouye, the rail authority’s director of engineering, said in an interview that STV never sent that notice to Wong Harris or to the rail authority.
“In hindsight, we all should have been aware of it,” said Fernandez. “Sometimes in a project of this complexity, these things happen.”
In April, the rail authority issued a notice of noncompliance to Tutor, saying its failure to grout the ducts violated its contract.
An internal audit by the rail authority, finalized on June 1 and obtained by The Times under its public records request, found that 72% of STV’s contract requirements that were examined had nonconformances. The specific findings faulted the company for not being on site at critical times, failing to file required reports and not having qualified personnel on the job, as well as other inadequacies.
STV said in a statement that it was working with the authority and Tutor Perini on the “safety of all structures” and referred questions to the rail authority.
The decision to delay grouting might have been OK if vent caps on the ducts had not been damaged and it had not rained. But crews that installed rebar on the highway deck apparently damaged those caps, and it appears that nobody, including STV or Wong Harris or Tutor Perini, noticed. When crews later drained the ducts after the failure occurred, water “poured out” of one duct for five minutes, according to the forensic report.
The report found that the strands failed as a result of “stress corrosion cracking.” Brandow noted that the strands had begun to corrode even before they were installed, according to the forensic report. He said even minor corrosion on strands could initiate cracking.
The repair plan for the bridge calls for all the strands in all of the four girders to be replaced, Fernandez said. Tutor had started to replace some of the strands shortly after they broke and was told it had to replace those a second time, according to a letter. The plan is currently being reviewed by BNSF headquarters, which has the right to examine any work that occurs over its tracks.
Fernandez said Tutor would have to pay for the cost of the repairs.
In its statement, Tutor Perini said the repair is “the contractual responsibility of the rebar subcontractor.” The company did not disclose the name of the subcontractor.