latimes--2020-04-22--'Where are the strokes and the heart attacks?' Doctors worry as patients avoid ERs

Before the coronavirus hit , tens of thousands of people across the state sought emergency help each day .
But in the weeks since the virus began its spread throughout the U.S. , those numbers have plummeted by a third to a half , according to physicians overseeing emergency departments in hospitals across Los Angeles County and elsewhere in California .
The steep decline comes amid drastic measures hospitals have put in place to prepare for what health officials fear could be a wave of patients infected by the coronavirus like the ones that have overwhelmed hospitals in New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the numbers of people sickened by the virus in California have been manageable .
But now doctors and health officials are increasingly worried that steps taken to keep hospitals at the ready , along with a widespread public fear the virus is rife in emergency rooms , have left people who are in immediate need of lifesaving help unwilling to seek treatment .
“ Where are the strokes and the heart attacks ?
Where are the diabetics having complications ?
” said Dr. Larry Stock , an emergency physician at Antelope Valley Hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just vaporize with the virus .
I worry people are suffering at home because they ’ re afraid our emergency rooms are radioactive.
” Physicians and health officials are amending their urgent warnings about the virus to stress that emergency departments are not overrun and can treat people safely .
The full effect of what Stock dubbed “ corona collateral damage syndrome , ” and another emergency physician called “ a virus of fear , ” has not yet been tallied as hospitals and state agencies begin to gather comprehensive figures .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physicians working in rural and urban hospitals around the state , a portrait emerges of how emergency care in California has been upended by the virus .
They worry people are dying at home from conditions that could have been treated and others who survive will now suffer from serious , chronic conditions resulting from their failure to seek help .
Before the coronavirus made inroads in the state , the emergency department at Hoag Hospital in Orange County typically treated about 90 stroke victims each month , said Dr. David Brown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s stroke program .
Since state and county officials issued orders last month largely instructing residents to remain at home , the number of stroke cases coming to the hospital has dropped by half , Brown said .
Overall , the number of patients coming to Hoag ’ s emergency department has fallen by half as well , hospital figures show .
Similarly , Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood , which used to have about 180 stroke patients in its emergency department each month , has seen those cases fall by 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department director said .
And at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center , stroke cases also have dropped by half , while people being treated for heart attacks are down 30 % , said Dr. Greg Hendey , chair of the emergency department .
Stroke patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles have declined by 15 % , according to the head of the emergency department .
The physicians interviewed , who work in Southern California as well as in Visalia , Sacramento and Fresno , said emergency cases at their hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At Kaiser Permanente , which operates a large network of hospitals around the state , emergency department patients have fallen off by more than half , a Kaiser representative said .
The number of people being transported by ambulance to hospitals in Los Angeles County is down between 20 % and 30 % , a county official said .
Seeing the brutal toll the coronavirus has taken in New York City and other hot spots , where infected people swamped hospital emergency rooms , California officials have implored the public to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have hammered on the importance of not seeking help at hospitals unless absolutely necessary in order to leave them able to handle a possible surge in cases here .
The public push has been effective .
And with people staying home , the number of car accidents , shootings and other trauma cases coming into emergency rooms is down , while people with non-urgent ailments have stayed away as well .
But lost in that messaging , physicians and health officials now worry , was an important caveat : If you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still go to the hospital .
“ It ’ s fear , ” said Dr. Carrieann Drenten , an emergency physician in Sacramento .
“ People are afraid to come in because the emergency department is seen as this haven of infection and sickness.
” Patients who resisted seeking help and then came to the hospital days late underscore the problem , physicians said .
Brown , the neurologist at Hoag Hospital , recounted an elderly woman who arrived at the hospital last week .
She had remained at home for four days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her body and difficulty speaking — both telltale signs of a stroke .
Asked why she had waited , the woman told doctors she had been afraid she ’ d be exposed to the coronavirus at the hospital , Brown said .
Had the woman come in right away , Brown said doctors likely would have been able to give her medications that can prevent lasting damage if they are administered soon after a stroke or perform a procedure to remove the blood clot causing the stroke .
As it was , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman , who suffered permanent brain damage and paralysis , he said .
And a 43-year-old man who suffered a heart attack was lucky to be alive , said Dr. Dipti Itchhaporia , a cardiologist and director of disease management at Hoag .
Despite several days of chest pain , the man told his wife he would not go to the emergency room because of the virus .
As the pain worsened , he dug in his heels , but agreed to see Itchhaporia at her office .
Seeing he had a blocked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a widowmaker , ” Itchhaporia took him to the hospital , where she cleared the artery .
The apparent problem is nationwide , according a study of nine major cardiac centers around the country .
In March , as the coronavirus spread , the number of patients who underwent critical artery-clearing procedures such as the one Itchhaporia performed dropped 38 % compared with an earlier period , the study found .
Doctors and health experts also worry about people with injuries or illnesses that would not be critical in the moment but can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Physicians interviewed offered gruesome accounts of patients arriving days after suffering lacerations , skin infections and ruptured appendixes .
The fear of contracting COVID-19 , the illness caused by the coronavirus , is largely misplaced , doctors said .
If a hospital has implemented widely used safety measures such as screening patients for symptoms of the illness before they enter the emergency department , cleaning thoroughly and isolating anyone who shows signs of the virus , the risk is low , they said .
Health officials are now trying to spread that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services , last week urged people to get help if they are having an emergency , saying they “ do not need to be worried ” about getting infected .
Hospitals and medical associations have put out similar messages .
The effect of people forgoing treatment could be deep and long-lasting .
Physicians said they believe people are dying in their homes and expect to see a rise in cases of congestive heart failure , major strokes and other chronic problems that are the result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the current crisis .
“ Down the road , we don ’ t want to look back and see high mortality rates in cases we could have helped if people had come in , ” said Dr. Sam Torbati , co-director of the emergency department at Cedars-Sinai .
“ We need to bring the pendulum back to a reasonable spot .
”

California’s hospital emergency departments are strangely quiet places these days.
Before the coronavirus hit, tens of thousands of people across the state sought emergency help each day. But in the weeks since the virus began its spread throughout the U.S., those numbers have plummeted by a third to a half, according to physicians overseeing emergency departments in hospitals across Los Angeles County and elsewhere in California.
The steep decline comes amid drastic measures hospitals have put in place to prepare for what health officials fear could be a wave of patients infected by the coronavirus like the ones that have overwhelmed hospitals in New York City and elsewhere.
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So far, the numbers of people sickened by the virus in California have been manageable. But now doctors and health officials are increasingly worried that steps taken to keep hospitals at the ready, along with a widespread public fear the virus is rife in emergency rooms, have left people who are in immediate need of lifesaving help unwilling to seek treatment.
“Where are the strokes and the heart attacks? Where are the diabetics having complications?” said Dr. Larry Stock, an emergency physician at Antelope Valley Hospital. “These cases didn’t just vaporize with the virus. I worry people are suffering at home because they’re afraid our emergency rooms are radioactive.”
Physicians and health officials are amending their urgent warnings about the virus to stress that emergency departments are not overrun and can treat people safely. The full effect of what Stock dubbed “corona collateral damage syndrome,” and what another emergency physician called “a virus of fear,” has not yet been tallied as hospitals and state agencies begin to gather comprehensive figures.
California Eerie calm before the storm gives ER doctors time to prepare, worry about what’s to come As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues its steep climb in California, many local emergency rooms remain eerily quiet, doctors say, giving them time to prepare but also time to agonize about what could be coming their way.
But from interviews with more than a dozen physicians working in rural and urban hospitals around the state, a portrait emerges of how emergency care in California has been upended by the virus. They worry people are dying at home from conditions that could have been treated and others who survive will now suffer from serious, chronic conditions resulting from their failure to seek help.
Before the coronavirus made inroads in the state, the emergency department at Hoag Hospital in Orange County typically treated about 90 stroke victims each month, said Dr. David Brown, a neurologist who directs the hospital’s stroke program.
Since state and county officials issued orders last month largely instructing residents to remain at home, the number of stroke cases coming to the hospital has dropped by half, Brown said. Overall, the number of patients coming to Hoag’s emergency department has fallen by half as well, hospital figures show.
Similarly, Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, which used to have about 180 stroke patients in its emergency department each month, has seen those cases fall by 50%, the hospital’s emergency department director said.
And at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, stroke cases also have dropped by half, while the number of people being treated for heart attacks is down 30%, said Dr. Greg Hendey, chair of the emergency department. Stroke patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles have declined by 15%, according to the head of the emergency department.
The physicians interviewed, who work in Southern California as well as in Visalia, Sacramento and Fresno, said emergency cases at their hospitals were down 30% to 50%. At Kaiser Permanente, which operates a large network of hospitals around the state, emergency department patients have fallen off by more than half, a Kaiser representative said. The number of people being transported by ambulance to hospitals in Los Angeles County is down between 20% and 30%, a county official said.
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Seeing the brutal toll the coronavirus has taken in New York City and other hot spots, where infected people swamped hospital emergency rooms, California officials have implored the public to take its deadly potential seriously. And they have hammered on the importance of not seeking help at hospitals unless absolutely necessary in order to leave them able to handle a possible surge in cases here.
The public push has been effective. And with people staying home, the number of car accidents, shootings and other trauma cases coming into emergency rooms is down, while people with non-urgent ailments have stayed away as well.
But lost in that messaging, physicians and health officials now worry, was an important caveat: If you’re having a medical emergency, you should still go to the hospital.
“It’s fear,” said Dr. Carrieann Drenten, an emergency physician in Sacramento. “People are afraid to come in because the emergency department is seen as this haven of infection and sickness.”
Patients who resisted seeking help and then came to the hospital days late underscore the problem, physicians said.
Brown, the neurologist at Hoag Hospital, recounted an elderly woman who arrived at the hospital last week. She had remained at home for four days despite having weakness on one side of her body and difficulty speaking — both telltale signs of a stroke.
Asked why she had waited, the woman told doctors she had been afraid she’d be exposed to the coronavirus at the hospital, Brown said.
Had the woman come in right away, Brown said, doctors probably would have been able to give her medications that can prevent lasting damage if they are administered soon after a stroke or perform a procedure to remove the blood clot causing the stroke.
As it was, there was little to be done for the woman, who suffered permanent brain damage and paralysis, he said.
And a 43-year-old man who suffered a heart attack was lucky to be alive, said Dr. Dipti Itchhaporia, a cardiologist and director of disease management at Hoag.
Despite several days of chest pain, the man told his wife he would not go to the emergency room because of the virus. As the pain worsened, he dug in his heels, but agreed to see Itchhaporia at her office. Seeing he had a blocked artery doctors commonly refer to as “a widowmaker,” Itchhaporia sent him to the hospital, where she cleared the artery.
The apparent problem is nationwide, according to a study of nine major cardiac centers around the country. In March, as the coronavirus spread, the number of patients who underwent critical artery-clearing procedures such as the one Itchhaporia performed dropped 38% compared with an earlier period, the study found.
Doctors and health experts also worry about people with injuries or illnesses that would not be critical in the moment but can become major problems if allowed to fester. Physicians interviewed offered gruesome accounts of patients arriving days after suffering lacerations, skin infections and ruptured appendixes.
The fear of contracting COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, is largely misplaced, doctors said.
If a hospital has implemented widely used safety measures such as screening patients for symptoms of the illness before they enter the emergency department, cleaning thoroughly and isolating anyone who shows signs of the virus, the risk is low, they said.
Health officials are now trying to spread that message. Dr. Christina Ghaly, director for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, last week urged people to get help if they are having an emergency, saying they “do not need to be worried” about getting infected. Hospitals and medical associations have put out similar messages.
The effect of people forgoing treatment could be deep and long-lasting. Physicians said they believe people are dying in their homes and expect to see a rise in cases of congestive heart failure, major strokes and other chronic problems that are the result of people failing to be treated during the current crisis.
“Down the road, we don’t want to look back and see high mortality rates in cases we could have helped if people had come in,” said Dr. Sam Torbati, co-director of the emergency department at Cedars-Sinai. “We need to bring the pendulum back to a reasonable spot.”


latimes--2020-04-22--Could some regions of California lift stay-at-home rules before others? Some areas say they're ready

Leaders in the central California county of San Luis Obispo are confident they have flattened the coronavirus curve .
The coastal county of 283,000 people recorded 134 cases and one death , and this week , there were only two confirmed infected people in hospital beds .
Yet a large share of its economy — the once-bustling shopping district of downtown San Luis Obispo , the famed wine tasting rooms around Paso Robles , the coastal tourist meccas of Morro Bay and Pismo Beach — remained closed tight .
So officials this week are making a bid with Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ gradual reopening process , one they say is guided by science but also recognition that San Luis Obispo County might be in better shape to ease stay-at-home rules faster than more populous hotspots like Los Angeles County and Silicon Valley .
“ This is not like flicking on a light switch , it ’ s more like operating a dimmer , ” San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Bruce Gibson said Tuesday .
“ We ’ re going to bring it up and see if it works , and we do have mechanisms to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restriction.
” They have joined a small group of other local officials in California to ask Newsom to consider changes in his sweeping statewide restrictions on movements based on local conditions .
While the coronavirus has hit almost all parts of California , some areas have seen significantly more confirmed cases , hospitalizations and deaths than others .
“ This bipartisan group of local elected leaders asks that you allow our county to exercise local authority to implement a phased reopening of our local economy over the next three weeks , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two county supervisors and a state assemblyman .
Sutter County officials sent a similar request to the governor .
San Luis Obispo County has a large supply of personal protective equipment and testing capacity , they added , and has built a site that can quickly scale up to take in more than 900 ill patients .
“ We have been successful in our efforts to manage the virus ’ spread , and we have put in the work and made investments to prepare for any type of surge or second wave , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local officials , including San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti , have urged patience , expressing concern that lifting the order too soon could cause more outbreaks and hurt the economy more in the long run .
L.A. County over the last week has recorded a sharp rise in deaths , with 297 new deaths over the past seven days compared with 193 fatalities reported over the previous seven-day period .
The L.A. County death toll now stands at 663 as of Tuesday night .
And a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggests hundreds of thousands of people in L.A. County might have coronavirus .
“ I know many of you are feeling frustrated or wondering when we ’ ll be able to lift the safer at home order .
But lifting the restrictions too soon could risk lives , ” Garcetti said Monday .
Newsom has expressed doubts about relaxing orders piecemeal in various jurisdictions , and some health experts also have concerns .
For example , if San Luis Obispo County reopened some of its businesses , what would stop residents from Southern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three or four hours there to spend a weekend at Pismo Beach and potentially cause new outbreaks ?
“ The problem with counties coming up piecemeal is about whether they create magnets , ” said Dr. George Rutherford , a UC San Francisco epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert .
There are situations in which a tailored , nuanced approach may be appropriate by region , said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley , medical epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health .
First , counties would need to show there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s plenty of hospital capacity .
And cases , hospitalizations and deaths would need to be declining consistently before loosening the rules can begin .
“ So if they start to take away some of these physical distancing measures , they have some room , if you will , to start a little bit of [ coronavirus ] growth upwards without overloading their system , ” Kim-Farley said .
Kim-Farley said he could envision ways of keeping physical distancing in place while allowing more businesses to open , like requiring sporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essential businesses now follow in some counties — require people to wear face coverings and limit the number of people inside .
The same concept might apply to beaches and parks — allowing people to go for a walk or a swim , but barring gatherings of large groups , Kim-Farley said .
Newsom suggested on Tuesday that he would not allow local officials to take any action that would loosen the statewide restrictions that he put in place on March 19 .
“ I imagine there ’ ll be some examples of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spirit , ” said the governor .
“ And we may have to dial a little bit of that back.
” The governor said his advisers were seeking to better organize various conversations with county and city leaders over relaxing the restrictions.He said he ’ d provide an update on Wednesday on how current conditions in California compared to the requirements in his six-point blueprint .
In particular , Newsom promised an in-depth look at the challenges related to testing for the coronavirus and tracing potential cases of COVID-19 in communities across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now averaging about 14,500 tests a day , fewer than his target of 25,000 a day by the end of April .
He cited administration statistics from the most recent 24-hour period — which showed a 3.3 % increase in hospitalizations and a 3.8 % increase in patients being treated in intensive care wards — as evidence that a significant shift toward reopening California businesses and community events was premature .
By Monday , there were 3,365 people with confirmed coronavirus diagnoses in California ’ s hospitals , with 1,241 of them in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all-time highs .
“ If we pull back too quickly , those numbers will go through the roof , ” Newsom said .
“ And I don ’ t think any of the people , in their goodwill and the spirit in which they are wanting to loosen things up , want to see those numbers increase.
” Last week , the Newsom administration highlighted six key indicators for altering his stay-at-home mandate , including the ability to closely monitor and track potential cases , prevent infection of high-risk people , prepare hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meet demand , ensure schools , businesses and childcare facilities can support social distancing , and develop guidelines for when to ask Californians to stay home again if necessary .
Local officials can not lift the state ’ s stay-at-home rules on their own .
But in recent days , some communities have lifted local rules more restrictive than the state ’ s .
Riverside County and Orange County , for example , allowed golf courses to reopen with social distancing measure .
“ Time is of the essence , ” said Orange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have people that are getting totally stir crazy at home.
” But Orange County health officials stressed they are looking for state guidance on when to allow wider reopening .
“ The last thing we want to do is open the floodgates and watch our case count start to go up again uncontrolled , ” said public health officer Dr. Nichole Quick .
In San Luis Obispo County , roughly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles , officials this week relaxed some local COVID-19-related restrictions they said went beyond the state ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ construction , recreational fishing , pet grooming , nonurgent surgery and outpatient medical practice .
They also required customers and businesses continue to follow physical distancing rules and the use of face coverings and personal protective equipment when pertinent .
County leaders stressed that if Newsom does allow them to ease the rules , they will do so judiciously .
“ We fully expect that , as we start to lift restrictions , that we will see more disease , ” said Dr. Penny Borenstein , the San Luis Obispo County health officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We just need to keep our eye on the number of cases , the number of hospitalizations , the number of people in critical condition and not pull the trigger too quickly in one direction or the other .
What we ’ re going to be looking for are trends.
” To the south , in Santa Barbara County , local officials expressed concerns about a patchwork of regulations being implemented over California ’ s central coast — where pet grooming , for instance , is closed in Santa Maria but can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Luis Obispo .
That ’ s a concern for Steve Lavagnino , a Santa Barbara County supervisor , whose dog is in such need of a haircut she “ looks like a koala bear at this point.
” He worries that without consistent rules across the region , people could “ do the wrong thing ” and travel around to get services .
Peter Adam , another Santa Barbara County supervisor , said if it were up to him , he would reopen the county ’ s businesses at once in defiance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I would recommend at least interpreting the governor ’ s order as liberally as possible and open our economy as soon as possible fully .
If not , simply defy it and making him come in and enforce it , ” he said .
Lin reported from San Francisco , Myers from Sacramento , and Money and Fry from Long Beach .

Rong-Gong Lin II, John Myers, Luke Money, Hannah Fry

Sheri Henggeler looks at a Toyota Supra on display in the showroom at Ventura Toyota. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Gustavo Gutierrez, a porter at Ventura Toyota, mops the showroom floor with disinfectant on the first day the dealership reopened for business. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Leaders in the central California county of San Luis Obispo are confident they have flattened the coronavirus curve. The coastal county of 283,000 people recorded 134 cases and one death, and this week, there were only two confirmed infected people in hospital beds.
Yet a large share of its economy — the once-bustling shopping district of downtown San Luis Obispo, the famed wine tasting rooms around Paso Robles, the coastal tourist meccas of Morro Bay and Pismo Beach — remained closed tight.
So officials this week are making a bid with Gov. Gavin Newsom to begin a slow and gradual reopening process, one they say is guided by science but also recognition that San Luis Obispo County might be in better shape to ease stay-at-home rules faster than more populous hotspots like Los Angeles County and Silicon Valley.
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“This is not like flicking on a light switch, it’s more like operating a dimmer,” San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Bruce Gibson said Tuesday. “We’re going to bring it up and see if it works, and we do have mechanisms to go back to a certain level of restriction.”
They have joined a small group of other local officials in California to ask Newsom to consider changes in his sweeping statewide restrictions on movements based on local conditions. While the coronavirus has hit almost all parts of California, some areas have seen significantly more confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths than others.
“This bipartisan group of local elected leaders asks that you allow our county to exercise local authority to implement a phased reopening of our local economy over the next three weeks,” said a letter signed by seven mayors, two county supervisors and a state assemblyman. Sutter County officials sent a similar request to the governor.
San Luis Obispo County has a large supply of personal protective equipment and testing capacity, they added, and has built a site that can quickly scale up to take in more than 900 ill patients.
“We have been successful in our efforts to manage the virus’ spread, and we have put in the work and made investments to prepare for any type of surge or second wave,” the letter said.
Advertisement
Some top local officials, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, have urged patience, expressing concern that lifting the order too soon could cause more outbreaks and hurt the economy more in the long run.
L.A. County over the last week has recorded a sharp rise in deaths, with 297 new deaths over the past seven days compared with 193 fatalities reported over the previous seven-day period. The L.A. County death toll now stands at 663 as of Tuesday night. And a new study by USC and L.A. County scientists suggests hundreds of thousands of people in L.A. County might have coronavirus.
“I know many of you are feeling frustrated or wondering when we’ll be able to lift the safer at home order. But lifting the restrictions too soon could risk lives,” Garcetti said Monday.
Newsom has expressed doubts about relaxing orders piecemeal in various jurisdictions, and some health experts also have concerns. For example, if San Luis Obispo County reopened some of its businesses, what would stop residents from Southern California and the Bay Area from driving three or four hours there to spend a weekend at Pismo Beach and potentially cause new outbreaks?
“The problem with counties coming up piecemeal is about whether they create magnets,” said Dr. George Rutherford, a UC San Francisco epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert.
There are situations in which a tailored, nuanced approach may be appropriate by region, said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, medical epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
First, counties would need to show there’s adequate testing available, and there’s plenty of hospital capacity. And cases, hospitalizations and deaths would need to be declining consistently before loosening the rules can begin.
“So if they start to take away some of these physical distancing measures, they have some room, if you will, to start a little bit of [coronavirus] growth upwards without overloading their system,” Kim-Farley said.
Kim-Farley said he could envision ways of keeping physical distancing in place while allowing more businesses to open, like requiring sporting goods stores to follow the same rules essential businesses now follow in some counties — require people to wear face coverings and limit the number of people inside.
The same concept might apply to beaches and parks — allowing people to go for a walk or a swim, but barring gatherings of large groups, Kim-Farley said.
Newsom suggested on Tuesday that he would not allow local officials to take any action that would loosen the statewide restrictions that he put in place on March 19.
“I imagine there’ll be some examples of people just getting ahead of that collaborative spirit,” said the governor. “And we may have to dial a little bit of that back.”
The governor said his advisers were seeking to better organize various conversations with county and city leaders over relaxing the restrictions.He said he’d provide an update on Wednesday on how current conditions in California compared to the requirements in his six-point blueprint.
In particular, Newsom promised an in-depth look at the challenges related to testing for the coronavirus and tracing potential cases of COVID-19 in communities across the state. He said the state was now averaging about 14,500 tests a day, fewer than his target of 25,000 a day by the end of April.
He cited administration statistics from the most recent 24-hour period — which showed a 3.3% increase in hospitalizations and a 3.8% increase in patients being treated in intensive care wards — as evidence that a significant shift toward reopening California businesses and community events was premature.
By Monday, there were 3,365 people with confirmed coronavirus diagnoses in California’s hospitals, with 1,241 of them in the intensive care units. Both were all-time highs.
“If we pull back too quickly, those numbers will go through the roof,” Newsom said. “And I don’t think any of the people, in their goodwill and the spirit in which they are wanting to loosen things up, want to see those numbers increase.”
Last week, the Newsom administration highlighted six key indicators for altering his stay-at-home mandate, including the ability to closely monitor and track potential cases, prevent infection of high-risk people, prepare hospitals to handle surges, develop therapies to meet demand, ensure schools, businesses and childcare facilities can support social distancing, and develop guidelines for when to ask Californians to stay home again if necessary.
Local officials cannot lift the state’s stay-at-home rules on their own. But in recent days, some communities have lifted local rules more restrictive than the state’s. Riverside County and Orange County, for example, allowed golf courses to reopen with social distancing measure.
“Time is of the essence,” said Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett. “We have people that are getting totally stir crazy at home.”
But Orange County health officials stressed they are looking for state guidance on when to allow wider reopening. “The last thing we want to do is open the floodgates and watch our case count start to go up again uncontrolled,” said public health officer Dr. Nichole Quick.
In San Luis Obispo County, roughly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, officials this week relaxed some local COVID-19-related restrictions they said went beyond the state’s order — allowing the resumption of construction, recreational fishing, pet grooming, nonurgent surgery and outpatient medical practice. They also required customers and businesses continue to follow physical distancing rules and the use of face coverings and personal protective equipment when pertinent.
County leaders stressed that if Newsom does allow them to ease the rules, they will do so judiciously.
“We fully expect that, as we start to lift restrictions, that we will see more disease,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, the San Luis Obispo County health officer.
“We expect them to occur. We just need to keep our eye on the number of cases, the number of hospitalizations, the number of people in critical condition and not pull the trigger too quickly in one direction or the other. What we’re going to be looking for are trends.”
To the south, in Santa Barbara County, local officials expressed concerns about a patchwork of regulations being implemented over California’s central coast — where pet grooming, for instance, is closed in Santa Maria but can be opened up 25 miles away in San Luis Obispo.
That’s a concern for Steve Lavagnino, a Santa Barbara County supervisor, whose dog is in such need of a haircut she “looks like a koala bear at this point.” He worries that without consistent rules across the region, people could “do the wrong thing” and travel around to get services.
Peter Adam, another Santa Barbara County supervisor, said if it were up to him, he would reopen the county’s businesses at once in defiance of Newsom’s order.
“I would recommend at least interpreting the governor’s order as liberally as possible and open our economy as soon as possible fully. If not, simply defy it and making him come in and enforce it,” he said.
Lin reported from San Francisco, Myers from Sacramento, and Money and Fry from Long Beach.


latimes--2020-03-18--The Enneagram is having a moment. You can thank millennials

Emily Rickard was at a casual dinner party in Riverside three years ago when a friend , a professor , mentioned a word that would change her life .
The professor had recently learned about the personality test and wondered if anyone had experience with it .
Rickard was immediately intrigued .
And perplexed .
She has a master ’ s in psychology and a longtime fascination with personality inventories ( think : Myers-Briggs ) , so she couldn ’ t believe that there was a system she hadn ’ t heard of .
Back at home , she researched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and how it breaks people into nine archetypes designated by a number , and sometimes a one-word nickname ( “ The Peacemaker , ” “ The Enthusiast , ” “ The Challenger , ” “ The Investigator ” ) .
The 37-year-old , who lives in Moreno Valley with her three boys , whom she home-schools , and her husband , a teacher who also helps pastor a church in Riverside , quickly pinned herself as a Nine — “ The Peacemaker.
” ( Figuring out your type often starts with an online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disagree with generic statements , such as “ I want people to tell me the truth , not spare my feelings.
” ) As she read about the Nine ’ s key motivations — avoiding conflict and maintaining harmony , sometimes by putting others ’ interests ahead of your own — she flashed back to her childhood and how , when her parents argued , she felt like the world might end .
She thought , too , about the times her husband insisted that she pick a dinner spot , and she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hers .
The epiphany brought her to tears , feeling as if her authentic self had , at last , been fully recognized .
Soon she enrolled in a 12-week , online course offered by a company called Your Enneagram Coach , that , for about $ 1,000 , promised an overview of the nine types , as well as help setting up a freelance gig as a life coach teaching from the Enneagram perspective .
Now , she runs a coaching service called NextGen Enneagram , offering a $ 350 package that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six longer one-on-one meetings .
“ Once you get the Enneagram bug , ” she says , “ it ’ s kind of contagious.
” Sixteen years of Google searches show that the number of people looking up “ Enneagram ” hovered at the same level until 2017 , when it spiked drastically , topping out last summer .
In August , for the first time in its history , , a nonprofit that teaches students how to use the model , sold almost every space at six workshops in Menlo Park , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has taught the Enneagram for more than 30 years .
“ The Enneagram is exploding , ” she said .
“ Expanding like crazy.
” The boom , which until the pandemic broke out involved people gathering for Enneagram parties and workshops , is part of the same contemporary phenomenon that some observers connect to the resurgence of astrology — in turbulent times , some people find comfort in the rituals of their religion or other , less traditional , belief systems .
When the world feels especially chaotic , said Fran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the University of Redlands , we crave tools that help us change the one thing we can control — ourselves .
“ It ’ s the inner path , ” Grace said .
“ How can I be a place of peace ?
” Like many other Enneagram converts , Rickard is something of a personal-development junkie .
She saw a marriage and family therapist during grad school , knows her Myers-Briggs type by heart and recently met with a woman who coaches people using neurolinguistic programming , a self-help therapy that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she recognizes that some of the Enneagram ’ s allure is its trendiness — “ It ’ s popular right now , so go with it , right ?
” she says with a laugh — she finds the model less stagnant and more growth-oriented than other personality systems and believes that it will stand the test of time .
Mention the word Enneagram in a group — or DISC or Myers-Briggs or any of the hundreds of tests that distill personalities into a color or a number or an animal — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least one person rolling their eyes , convinced its all well-packaged nonsense .
Personality tests , skeptics have long argued , are nothing more than pseudoscience that create a buyer-beware world of little regulation where anyone can call themselves an expert .
The Enneagram itself has ancient , but murky , roots : Some adherents trace it back to a 4th century monk and the same underlying concept as the seven deadly sins .
Others see similarities between the Enneagram ’ s nine-pointed figure and a symbol used in ancient Sufism .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ philosopher Oscar Ichazo , and one of his students , a Berkeley-based psychiatrist , who , in the 1970s , helped popularize the Enneagram in the U.S. By 1994 , the model had gained at least enough credence that Stanford Medical School ’ s psychiatry department co-sponsored the first International Enneagram Conference , drawing more than a thousand people to Palo Alto .
From there , the framework found pockets of popularity with self-help devotees and in Corporate America , where some companies used the tool to build rapport among employees .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , propelled , in part , by a book on the topic by an influential Franciscan priest named Richard Rohr .
Then , thanks to millennials , it exploded into the mainstream in the last few years .
In many ways , the tool , which isn ’ t tied to a specific religion , seems tailor-made for a spiritual-but-not-religious generation that grew up on BuzzFeed quizzes and branding .
Enneagram evangelists tout it as a self-discovery tool that will help you understand your strengths and limitations , spot patterns you fall into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s not about fundamentally altering yourself or trying to morph into another type — that , they ’ ll remind you , is impossible anyway — but about living more consciously with the hand you ’ ve been dealt .
In a world saturated with self-help tools , it ’ s the Enneagram ’ s digestibility that sets it apart .
The nine archetypes are easy to distill into cute and encouraging memes , like the ones shared to half a million followers on the @ enneagramandcoffee Instagram account or the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the @ Enneadog account .
Companies capitalizing on the craze now claim to know the best smoothie bowl and iPhone app for each type and there are more than 20 different podcasts with “ Enneagram ” in their title , including one called “ Do It For the Gram ” hosted by Milton Stewart , a Seven ( “ The Enthusiast.
” ) The 30-year-old , who lives in Memphis and proudly calls himself “ The Enneagram Guy , ” says the tool is a natural fit for him , and fellow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of success and toward a loftier goal : True happiness .
“ The Enneagram helps people get to what is greater , ” he said .
“ To be really internally happy , peaceful , content.
” Another part of the Enneagram ’ s appeal is that nobody owns it .
A few well-established groups , such as the Enneagram Institute and the Narrative Enneagram , host intensive workshops , some of which can cost into the thousands of dollars .
( In a club exploding with newbie converts , groups that started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a certain cachet . )
But people can also research for free online and label themselves a guru .
“ There ’ s no overarching body that says , ‘ You can ’ t say you ’ re an Enneagram expert , ’ ” said Micky ScottBey Jones , 42 , a Nashville-area Enneagram trainer , who got certified through an extensive online program taught by the School of Conscious Living in Cincinnati .
The lack of quality control is problematic , Jones acknowledged , because someone with only a cursory understanding of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and start charging money .
And when the tool is used without nuance , she said , discussions can devolve into deterministic stereotypes .
“ Oh , you think you ’ re perfect ?
” Jones recalls her ex-husband quipping at her , knowing she was a One , sometimes nicknamed “ The Perfectionist.
” The opposite was true , she told him , Ones have the fiercest “ inner critic ” of any number .
“ It ’ s not a party trick , ” she said .
It takes serious research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jones said , and to account for the cultural biases inherent in some of the quizzes and trainings .
As with anything , she said , Enneagram teachers interpret the world through the lens of their own lives and , historically , at least in the U.S. , most instructors have been white .
When Jones , who is black , first starting having conversations about the Enneagram , other people told her , and she initially agreed , that she was probably an Eight ( “ The Challenger ” ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a common mistyping among black women — one she believes is rooted in stereotypes about black women as angry and strong .
While she is a leader with a strong personality — traits often found in Eights — a key aspect was off : She doesn ’ t freely express her anger .
As a One ( aka “ Perfectionist ” ) , she ’ s prone to tamp the emotion down .
One way to weed out your true type , Enneagram experts say , is to read all nine descriptions and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embarrasses you .
That was how Paden Hughes — the 33-year-old CEO of Gymnazo , a workout facility in San Luis Obispo — ultimately discovered her type .
She initially thought she might be an Eight , but realized she was a Three ( “ The Achiever ” ) after learning that , at their lowest , Threes are prone to shape-shifting and manipulation .
“ It ’ s the side of you that you don ’ t want anyone to see , “ Hughes said .
But recognizing that side , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Enneagram with her then 15-person staff more than a year ago and , so far , she said , the employees have liked it more than other personality-typing tools they ’ d tried together , including Myers-Briggs and Strengths Finder .
On a Saturday morning last fall , Hughes ’ gym hosted a two-hour Enneagram workshop led by Joy Pedersen — a 41-year-old life coach and certified Enneagram instructor who has a doctorate in educational leadership .
“ I want us to do introductions , ” Pedersen said softly , asking each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact about themselves , as well as their experience with the Enneagram and what they hoped to get from the workshop .
First up was a 38-year-old preschool teacher — fun fact : She ’ s from Fargo , N.D. — who said she knew almost nothing about the Enneagram , but that she kept seeing the word on Instagram .
Then a 59-year-old commercial real estate agent — fun fact : she has anxiety from a lack of fun facts — said she struggled with understanding people and hoped to improve her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pedersen said , smiling , “ that gets me really excited.
” The next day , a different group — a crew of 18 men and women — packed into a living room in Riverside for an Enneagram party led by Rickard , the devotee who lives in Moreno Valley .
Dressed in a sparkly T-shirt and exuding the loud , stay-with-me energy of someone who spends her time home-schooling a trio of young boys , Rickard clapped three times .
The crowd — her friends , her friend ’ s friends and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the event online — quieted .
“ So , ” Rickard said , squirming with excitement , “ who has heard of the Enneagram ?
” “ Who is obsessed with it like me ?
” she asked .
When only four hands stayed raised , Rickard inched her eyebrows up and down several times , as if to say , “ Challenge accepted.
” Some Christians are leery about the Enneagram because it ’ s not derived directly from the Bible , Rickard said , but that doesn ’ t bother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pastor at a nondenominational Christian church .
Nothing about it contradicts their beliefs , she says , or those of any of the other world religions she ’ s studied .
“ Anything that gives you insight into how you ’ re made can be helpful , ” she said .
As Rickard outlined the types in a PowerPoint presentation , a mother , who was bouncing her baby on her knee , asked if women with young children ever get mistyped as Twos ( “ The Helper ” ) .
Rickard nodded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in religious communities — are often mistyped because selflessness is a trait they ’ re taught to value and therefore learn to express .
As she pointed to her PowerPoint , a stack of gold bracelets bounced around her left wrist .
She winced .
“ This is so jingly , ” she said .
“ Is that annoying anyone ?
” A friend in the back of the room chuckled , noticing the worry-about-everyone-else question .
“ Ah , ” she whispered to herself , “ The Peacemaker.
” You could argue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a public talk might fret over distracting noises .
But that wasn ’ t what the friend saw — not now that she was a believer .

During a gathering in Riverside in the fall, a group plays an interactive game to help them start to narrow down their Enneagram personality types.
Emily Rickard was at a casual dinner party in Riverside three years ago when a friend, a professor, mentioned a word that would change her life.
Enneagram.
The professor had recently learned about the personality test and wondered if anyone had experience with it. Rickard was immediately intrigued. And perplexed.
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She has a master’s in psychology and a longtime fascination with personality inventories (think: Myers-Briggs), so she couldn’t believe that there was a system she hadn’t heard of. Back at home, she researched the Enneagram (pronounced ANY-uh-gram) model and how it breaks people into nine archetypes designated by a number, and sometimes a one-word nickname (“The Peacemaker,” “The Enthusiast,” “The Challenger,” “The Investigator”).
The 37-year-old, who lives in Moreno Valley with her three boys, whom she home-schools, and her husband, a teacher who also helps pastor a church in Riverside, quickly pinned herself as a Nine — “The Peacemaker.” (Figuring out your type often starts with an online assessment that asks you to agree or disagree with generic statements, such as “I want people to tell me the truth, not spare my feelings.”)
As she read about the Nine’s key motivations — avoiding conflict and maintaining harmony, sometimes by putting others’ interests ahead of your own — she flashed back to her childhood and how, when her parents argued, she felt like the world might end. She thought, too, about the times her husband insisted that she pick a dinner spot, and she simply shrugged, elevating his cravings above hers.
California The nine Enneagram types Which Enneagram type are you? Here is a rundown of the nine personality types.
The epiphany brought her to tears, feeling as if her authentic self had, at last, been fully recognized. Soon she enrolled in a 12-week, online course offered by a company called Your Enneagram Coach, that, for about $1,000, promised an overview of the nine types, as well as help setting up a freelance gig as a life coach teaching from the Enneagram perspective. Now, she runs a coaching service called NextGen Enneagram, offering a $350 package that includes a 30-minute, pinpoint-your-type interview and six longer one-on-one meetings.
“Once you get the Enneagram bug,” she says, “it’s kind of contagious.”
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Actually, quite contagious.
Sixteen years of Google searches show that the number of people looking up “Enneagram” hovered at the same level until 2017, when it spiked drastically, topping out last summer. In August, for the first time in its history, the Narrative Enneagram , a nonprofit that teaches students how to use the model, sold almost every space at six workshops in Menlo Park, according to founding president Terry Saracino, who has taught the Enneagram for more than 30 years.
“The Enneagram is exploding,” she said. “Expanding like crazy.”
The boom, which until the pandemic broke out involved people gathering for Enneagram parties and workshops, is part of the same contemporary phenomenon that some observers connect to the resurgence of astrology — in turbulent times, some people find comfort in the rituals of their religion or other, less traditional, belief systems. When the world feels especially chaotic, said Fran Grace, a professor of religious studies at the University of Redlands, we crave tools that help us change the one thing we can control — ourselves.
“It’s the inner path,” Grace said. “How can I be a place of peace?”
Emily Rickard discusses the Enneagram at a gathering in the fall at her friend’s home in Riverside. (Ana Venegas / For The Times)
Like many other Enneagram converts, Rickard is something of a personal-development junkie. She saw a marriage and family therapist during grad school, knows her Myers-Briggs type by heart and recently met with a woman who coaches people using neurolinguistic programming, a self-help therapy that sometimes uses hypnotic techniques.
And while she recognizes that some of the Enneagram’s allure is its trendiness — “It’s popular right now, so go with it, right?” she says with a laugh — she finds the model less stagnant and more growth-oriented than other personality systems and believes that it will stand the test of time.
::
Mention the word Enneagram in a group — or DISC or Myers-Briggs or any of the hundreds of tests that distill personalities into a color or a number or an animal — and you’ll almost always spot at least one person rolling their eyes, convinced its all well-packaged nonsense. Personality tests, skeptics have long argued, are nothing more than pseudoscience that create a buyer-beware world of little regulation where anyone can call themselves an expert.
The Enneagram itself has ancient, but murky, roots: Some adherents trace it back to a 4th century monk and the same underlying concept as the seven deadly sins. Others see similarities between the Enneagram’s nine-pointed figure and a symbol used in ancient Sufism.
1 / 9 The Reformer/Perfectionist: Ones are disciplined, self-controlled people who are afraid of making mistakes and feel compelled to leave the world better than they found it. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times) 2 / 9 The Helper/Giver: Twos are generous and empathetic people who can be prone to people-pleasing. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times) 3 / 9 The Achiever/Performer: Threes are energetic, make-it-happen people who care deeply about being admired. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times) 4 / 9 The Individualist/Romantic: Fours are idealistic and intense people who crave authenticity. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times) 5 / 9 The Investigator/Observer: Fives are analytical, self-reliant and, at times, detached. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times) 6 / 9 The Loyalist/Loyal Skeptic: Sixes are dutiful, diligent people who can be prone to distrust. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times) 7 / 9 The Enthusiast/Epicure: Sevens are peppy, at times scattered, people who love the thrill of a new opportunity. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times) 8 / 9 The Challenger/Protector: Eights are self-assured and intense people who are perturbed by indecisiveness and injustice. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times) 9 / 9 The Peacemaker/Mediator: Nines are accepting, go-with-the-flow people whose longing for harmony sometimes causes them to acquiesce to others’ desires. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times)
But the modern interpretation is credited to Bolivian-born philosopher Oscar Ichazo, and one of his students, a Berkeley-based psychiatrist, who, in the 1970s, helped popularize the Enneagram in the U.S. By 1994, the model had gained at least enough credence that Stanford Medical School’s psychiatry department co-sponsored the first International Enneagram Conference, drawing more than a thousand people to Palo Alto.
From there, the framework found pockets of popularity with self-help devotees and in Corporate America, where some companies used the tool to build rapport among employees. It also gained traction in some Christian circles, propelled, in part, by a book on the topic by an influential Franciscan priest named Richard Rohr. Then, thanks to millennials, it exploded into the mainstream in the last few years. In many ways, the tool, which isn’t tied to a specific religion, seems tailor-made for a spiritual-but-not-religious generation that grew up on BuzzFeed quizzes and branding.
‘The Enneagram helps people get to what is greater. To be really internally happy, peaceful, content.’ — Milton Stewart, podcast host for “Do It For the Gram”
Enneagram evangelists tout it as a self-discovery tool that will help you understand your strengths and limitations, spot patterns you fall into during stress and communicate more clearly. It’s not about fundamentally altering yourself or trying to morph into another type — that, they’ll remind you, is impossible anyway — but about living more consciously with the hand you’ve been dealt.
In a world saturated with self-help tools, it’s the Enneagram’s digestibility that sets it apart.
The nine archetypes are easy to distill into cute and encouraging memes, like the ones shared to half a million followers on the @enneagramandcoffee Instagram account or the GIFs of puppies and Enneagram jokes tweeted by the @Enneadog account. Companies capitalizing on the craze now claim to know the best smoothie bowl and iPhone app for each type and there are more than 20 different podcasts with “Enneagram” in their title, including one called “Do It For the Gram” hosted by Milton Stewart, a Seven (“The Enthusiast.”)
Column One A showcase for compelling storytelling from the Los Angeles Times More stories
The 30-year-old, who lives in Memphis and proudly calls himself “The Enneagram Guy,” says the tool is a natural fit for him, and fellow millennials who want to move beyond discussions of success and toward a loftier goal: True happiness.
“The Enneagram helps people get to what is greater,” he said. “To be really internally happy, peaceful, content.”
Another part of the Enneagram’s appeal is that nobody owns it.
A few well-established groups, such as the Enneagram Institute and the Narrative Enneagram, host intensive workshops, some of which can cost into the thousands of dollars. (In a club exploding with newbie converts, groups that started talking about the Enneagram decades ago carry a certain cachet.)
But people can also research for free online and label themselves a guru.
“There’s no overarching body that says, ‘You can’t say you’re an Enneagram expert,’” said Micky ScottBey Jones, 42, a Nashville-area Enneagram trainer, who got certified through an extensive online program taught by the School of Conscious Living in Cincinnati.
The lack of quality control is problematic, Jones acknowledged, because someone with only a cursory understanding of the Enneagram could call themselves a trainer and start charging money. And when the tool is used without nuance, she said, discussions can devolve into deterministic stereotypes.
“Oh, you think you’re perfect?” Jones recalls her ex-husband quipping at her, knowing she was a One, sometimes nicknamed “The Perfectionist.” The opposite was true, she told him, Ones have the fiercest “inner critic” of any number.
Think of the lines on the Enneagram figure as arrows explaining the directions each personality type moves in times of stress and growth. So, when a Nine is stressed, they resemble an unhealthy Six, but when they’re thriving, they look like a healthy Three. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times)
“It’s not a party trick,” she said.
It takes serious research to understand the tool’s subtleties, Jones said, and to account for the cultural biases inherent in some of the quizzes and trainings. As with anything, she said, Enneagram teachers interpret the world through the lens of their own lives and, historically, at least in the U.S., most instructors have been white.
When Jones, who is black, first started having conversations about the Enneagram, other people told her, and she initially agreed, that she was probably an Eight (“The Challenger”). But she later realized that that was a common mistyping among black women — one she believes is rooted in stereotypes about black women as angry and strong. While she is a leader with a strong personality — traits often found in Eights — a key aspect was off: She doesn’t freely express her anger. As a One (aka “Perfectionist”), she’s prone to tamp the emotion down.
One way to weed out your true type, Enneagram experts say, is to read all nine descriptions and focus on the one that unsettles or embarrasses you. That was how Paden Hughes — the 33-year-old CEO of Gymnazo, a workout facility in San Luis Obispo — ultimately discovered her type. She initially thought she might be an Eight, but realized she was a Three (“The Achiever”) after learning that, at their lowest, Threes are prone to shape-shifting and manipulation.
“It’s the side of you that you don’t want anyone to see,“ Hughes said. But recognizing that side, she believes, spurs growth.
She implemented the Enneagram with her then 15-person staff more than a year ago and, so far, she said, the employees have liked it more than other personality-typing tools they’d tried together, including Myers-Briggs and Strengths Finder.
Attendees broke into groups to discuss personality types during the Enneagram workshop in Riverside. (Ana Venegas / For The Times)
On a Saturday morning last fall, Hughes’ gym hosted a two-hour Enneagram workshop led by Joy Pedersen — a 41-year-old life coach and certified Enneagram instructor who has a doctorate in educational leadership.
“I want us to do introductions,” Pedersen said softly, asking each of the participants to share a fun fact about themselves, as well as their experience with the Enneagram and what they hoped to get from the workshop.
First up was a 38-year-old preschool teacher — fun fact: She’s from Fargo, N.D. — who said she knew almost nothing about the Enneagram, but that she kept seeing the word on Instagram. Then a 59-year-old commercial real estate agent — fun fact: she has anxiety from a lack of fun facts — said she struggled with understanding people and hoped to improve her communication skills.
“Oooh,” Pedersen said, smiling, “that gets me really excited.”
The next day, a different group — a crew of 18 men and women — packed into a living room in Riverside for an Enneagram party led by Rickard, the devotee who lives in Moreno Valley.
Dressed in a sparkly T-shirt and exuding the loud, stay-with-me energy of someone who spends her time home-schooling a trio of young boys, Rickard clapped three times. The crowd — her friends, her friend’s friends and a few strangers who’d learned about the event online — quieted.
“So,” Rickard said, squirming with excitement, “who has heard of the Enneagram?”
Eighteen hands popped up.
“Who is obsessed with it like me?” she asked.
Rickard’s friends, her friend’s friends and a few strangers who’d learned about the event online attended the workshop. (Ana Venegas / For The Times)
When only four hands stayed raised, Rickard inched her eyebrows up and down several times, as if to say, “Challenge accepted.”
Some Christians are leery about the Enneagram because it’s not derived directly from the Bible, Rickard said, but that doesn’t bother her — or her husband, a pastor at a nondenominational Christian church. Nothing about it contradicts their beliefs, she says, or those of any of the other world religions she’s studied.
“Anything that gives you insight into how you’re made can be helpful,” she said.
As Rickard outlined the types in a PowerPoint presentation, a mother, who was bouncing her baby on her knee, asked if women with young children ever get mistyped as Twos (“The Helper”). Rickard nodded, saying women — and particularly women in religious communities — are often mistyped because selflessness is a trait they’re taught to value and therefore learn to express.
As she pointed to her PowerPoint, a stack of gold bracelets bounced around her left wrist. She winced.
“This is so jingly,” she said. “Is that annoying anyone?”
A friend in the back of the room chuckled, noticing the worry-about-everyone-else question.
“Ah,” she whispered to herself, “The Peacemaker.”
You could argue, of course, that anyone giving a public talk might fret over distracting noises. But that wasn’t what the friend saw — not now that she was a believer.


latimes--2020-04-22--Magnitude 3.7 earthquake hits South Los Angeles, causing light shaking across Southland

A magnitude 3.7 earthquake that struck underneath South Los Angeles just after midnight caused light shaking across the Los Angeles Basin .
The earthquake occurred at 12:03 a.m. Wednesday .
Light shaking — enough to rattle dishes and windows and rock parked cars — was felt in South L.A. , Inglewood , Culver City , Playa Vista and the Los Angeles International Airport , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
Weak shaking was felt across the L.A. Basin and the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys and northern Orange County .
The earthquake ’ s epicenter was about half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brea avenues .
The earthquake occurred in the vicinity of the Newport-Inglewood fault zone .
The Newport-Inglewood fault has long been considered one of Southern California ’ s top seismic danger zones because it runs under some of the region ’ s most densely populated areas , from the Westside of Los Angeles to the Orange County coast .
The Newport-Inglewood fault was responsible for the deadliest earthquake in the modern history of Southern California — the magnitude 6.4 Long Beach earthquake of 1933 , which killed about 120 people .
The fault @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rose Canyon fault system that runs into San Diego .
Scientists believe earthquakes as large as magnitudes 6.8 to 7.5 have struck the Newport-Inglewood/Rose Canyon fault system , which stretches from the border of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles through Long Beach and the Orange County coast to downtown San Diego .
In the past 10 days , there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby .
An average of five earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in the greater Los Angeles area , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The earthquake occurred at a depth of 7.4 miles .
Did you feel this earthquake ?
Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS .
Even if you didn ’ t feel this small earthquake , you never know when the Big One is going to strike .
Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit .
The first version of this story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS .
A Times editor reviewed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was subsequently revised by a Times journalist .
If you ’ re interested in learning more about the system , visit our list of frequently asked questions .

A magnitude 3.7 earthquake that struck underneath South Los Angeles just after midnight caused light shaking across the Los Angeles Basin.
The earthquake occurred at 12:03 a.m. Wednesday. Light shaking — enough to rattle dishes and windows and rock parked cars — was felt in South L.A., Inglewood, Culver City, Playa Vista and at Los Angeles International Airport, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Weak shaking was felt across the L.A. Basin and the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys and in northern Orange County.
The earthquake’s epicenter was about half a mile southeast of Slauson and La Brea avenues.
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The earthquake occurred in the vicinity of the Newport-Inglewood fault zone. The Newport-Inglewood fault has long been considered one of Southern California’s top seismic danger zones because it runs under some of the region’s most densely populated areas, from the Westside of Los Angeles to the Orange County coast.
The Newport-Inglewood fault was responsible for the deadliest earthquake in the modern history of Southern California — the magnitude 6.4 Long Beach earthquake of 1933, which killed about 120 people.
The fault is now known to connect with the Rose Canyon fault system that runs into San Diego. Scientists believe earthquakes as large as magnitudes 6.8 to 7.5 have struck the Newport-Inglewood/Rose Canyon fault system, which stretches from the border of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles through Long Beach and the Orange County coast to downtown San Diego.
A plausible magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the Rose Canyon fault in San Diego, threatening the civic and financial center of California’s second-largest city and the nation’s fourth-biggest naval base, could damage 120,000 of San Diego County’s 700,000 structures and cause $38 billion in economic losses from building and infrastructure damage and $5.2 billion in lost income from business interruptions, according to a report released last month.
I'm happy to have slept thru last night's little quake. It appears to be on the Newport-Inglewood fault, at almost the same location as 4 M3 quakes in April, May and June 2015. Those and today are all deep (~7-8 miles down), way below the oil fields. — Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) April 22, 2020
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In the last 10 days, there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
An average of five earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in the greater Los Angeles area, according to a recent three-year data sample.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 7.4 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Even if you didn’t feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit.
The first version of this article was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. It was subsequently revised by a Times journalist. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.


latimes--2020-04-22--Coronavirus outbreak at Orange County nursing home kills two patients, sickens 72

Two patients at an Orange County nursing home died this week from COVID-19 as a coronavirus outbreak at the facility has sickened half its residents and several staff members .
Thus far , 48 other patients and 24 healthcare staff members at Huntington Valley Healthcare Center , 8382 Newman Ave. in Huntington Beach , have tested positive for the coronavirus , according to a news release from the company .
Of the 48 sickened patients , 14 are in hospitals , but their status , including whether they were in ICU , was unknown by the company Tuesday evening , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the patients , a 77-year-old man , died Monday night at a hospital , and the other patient , a 79-year-old man , died at the facility Tuesday .
Company officials did not have information available Tuesday evening on whether the two patients had preexisting conditions .
It is one of many outbreaks in recent days at nursing homes across California .
More than 30 % of those who have died in Los Angeles County were residents of long-term care facilities ; more than 70 % of the deaths in Long Beach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 11 , the facility restricted access to its building to only essential medical personnel , has been screening its staff and medically essential visitors , and curtailing communal activities , according to the company .
About 10 days ago , at the onset of the outbreak , Huntington Valley created a COVID-19 isolation unit , and any staff members working in that unit were given N95 masks and other personal protective equipment , according to the company .
All other staff were given standard surgical masks , gloves and other PPE , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has about 100 residents — meaning half have tested positive for the coronavirus — and about 100 staff members , according to the company .
The employees who tested positive are self-isolating with minor symptoms , according to the company .
The staff members who worked alongside their colleagues who tested positive are continuing to go to work as long as they don ’ t have symptoms and haven ’ t tested positive themselves .
A company representative said they did not have information on whether the county , which they said oversees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who worked with the employees who tested positive for the coronavirus .
The facility , located near Huntington Beach Hospital , describes itself on its website as a “ premier 24-hour skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in the city of Huntington Beach .
A highly skilled nursing staff , an expert rehabilitation team and a caring administrative staff ; combine with luxurious accommodations , entertaining social activities , and state-of-the-art technology to create an environment for comfort and healing.
” It charges private-paying clients $ 350 a day for a semi-private room and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Room.
” Its skilled nursing facility license is held by Douglas Fir Holdings , based in Carlsbad , and its building is owned by the MLG Trust , according to the California Department of Public Health ’ s license database .

Two patients at an Orange County nursing home died this week from COVID-19 as a coronavirus outbreak at the facility has sickened half its residents and several staff members.
Thus far, 48 other patients and 24 healthcare staff members at Huntington Valley Healthcare Center, 8382 Newman Ave. in Huntington Beach, have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a news release from the company.
Of the 48 sickened patients, 14 are in hospitals, but their status, including whether they were in ICU, was unknown by the company Tuesday evening, according to Huntington Valley officials.
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One of the patients, a 77-year-old man, died Monday night at a hospital, and the other patient, a 79-year-old man, died at the facility Tuesday. Company officials did not have information available Tuesday evening on whether the two patients had preexisting conditions.
It is one of many outbreaks in recent days at nursing homes across California. More than 30% of those who have died in Los Angeles County were residents of long-term care facilities; more than 70% of the deaths in Long Beach have been nursing home residents.
On March 11, the facility restricted access to its building to only essential medical personnel, has been screening its staff and medically essential visitors, and curtailing communal activities, according to the company.
About 10 days ago, at the onset of the outbreak, Huntington Valley created a COVID-19 isolation unit, and any staff members working in that unit were given N95 masks and other personal protective equipment, according to the company. All other staff were given standard surgical masks, gloves and other PPE, according to the company.
Huntington Valley has about 100 residents — meaning half have tested positive for the coronavirus — and about 100 staff members, according to the company.
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The employees who tested positive are self-isolating with minor symptoms, according to the company.
The staff members who worked alongside their colleagues who tested positive are continuing to go to work as long as they don’t have symptoms and haven’t tested positive themselves. A company representative said they did not have information on whether the county, which they said oversees testing, had tested the staff members who worked with the employees who tested positive for the coronavirus.
The facility, located near Huntington Beach Hospital, describes itself on its website as a “premier 24-hour skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in the city of Huntington Beach. A highly skilled nursing staff, an expert rehabilitation team and a caring administrative staff; combine with luxurious accommodations, entertaining social activities, and state-of-the-art technology to create an environment for comfort and healing.” It charges private-paying clients $350 a day for a semi-private room and $300 for a “3 Bed Room.”
Its skilled nursing facility license is held by Douglas Fir Holdings, based in Carlsbad, and its building is owned by the MLG Trust, according to the California Department of Public Health’s license database.


latimes--2020-04-22--Autopsies reveal first confirmed U.S. coronavirus deaths occurred in Bay Area in February

Two coronavirus-infected people died in Santa Clara County on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17 , the medical examiner revealed Tuesday , making them first documented COVID-19 fatalities in the United States .
Until now , the first fatality was believed to have occurred in Kirkland , Wash. , on Feb. 29 .
Officials previously had said the first Silicon Valley death was March 9 .
But the Santa Clara County medical examiner revealed Tuesday that people who died Feb. 6 , Feb. 17 and March 6 also died of COVID-19 .
“ These three individuals died at home during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only through the [ U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ] .
Testing criteria set by the CDC at the time restricted testing to only individuals with a known travel history and who sought medical care for specific symptoms , ” the county said in a statement .
“ As the Medical Examiner-Coroner continues to carefully investigate deaths throughout the county , we anticipate additional deaths from COVID-19 will be identified.
” Silicon Valley was an early center of the coronavirus outbreak .
So far it has reported nearly 2,000 cases and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerns that the new coronavirus has been in California longer than experts first believed .
Dr. Jeff Smith , a physician who is the chief executive of Santa Clara County government , said earlier this month that data collected by the CDC , local health departments and others suggest it was “ a lot longer than we first believed ” — most likely since “ back in December.
” “ This wasn ’ t recognized because we were having a severe flu season , ” Smith said in an interview .
“ Symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If you got a mild case of COVID , you didn ’ t really notice .
You didn ’ t even go to the doctor .
The doctor maybe didn ’ t even do it because they presumed it was the flu.
” In January and most of February , there was little if any community testing in California .

Matt Hamilton, Paige St. John, Rong-Gong Lin II

Two coronavirus-infected people died in Santa Clara County on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17, the medical examiner revealed Tuesday, making them first documented COVID-19 fatalities in the United States.
Until now, the first fatality was believed to have occurred in Kirkland, Wash., on Feb. 29.
For the record: A previous version of this story said Silicon Valley had eight COVID-19 deaths. As of Wednesday, Santa Clara County health officials had confirmed 94 deaths in the region.
Officials previously had said the first Silicon Valley death was March 9. But the Santa Clara County medical examiner revealed Tuesday that people who died Feb. 6, Feb. 17 and March 6 also died of COVID-19.
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“These three individuals died at home during a time when very limited testing was available only through the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. Testing criteria set by the CDC at the time restricted testing to only individuals with a known travel history and who sought medical care for specific symptoms,” the county said in a statement. “As the Medical Examiner-Coroner continues to carefully investigate deaths throughout the county, we anticipate additional deaths from COVID-19 will be identified.”
Silicon Valley was an early hotbed of the coronavirus outbreak. So far it has reported nearly 2,000 cases and 94 deaths.
There have been growing concerns that the new coronavirus has been in California longer than experts first believed.
Dr. Jeff Smith, a physician who is the chief executive of Santa Clara County government, said earlier this month that data collected by the CDC, local health departments and others suggest it was “a lot longer than we first believed” — most likely since “back in December.”
“This wasn’t recognized because we were having a severe flu season,” Smith said in an interview. “Symptoms are very much like the flu. If you got a mild case of COVID, you didn’t really notice. You didn’t even go to the doctor. The doctor maybe didn’t even do it because they presumed it was the flu.”
In January and most of February, there was little if any community testing in California.
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A preliminary study, conducted by researchers at Stanford University, estimates that between 2.5% and 4.2% of Santa Clara County residents had antibodies to the new coronavirus in their blood by early April. Antibodies are an indication that a person’s immune system has responded to a past infection.
Though the county had reported roughly 1,000 cases in early April, the Stanford researchers estimate the actual number was between 48,000 and 81,000, or 50 to 85 times greater.


latimes--2020-04-21--Girl, 14, and two others killed in apparent murder-suicide in Bay Area

Three people , including a 14-year-old girl , were shot in an apparent murder-suicide in the Bay Area , police @ @ @ @ @ Jackson , 50 , of Vallejo used a shotgun to kill his 53-year-old domestic partner @ @ @ @ @ turning the gun on himself , police said in a statement .
Police were called @ @ @ @ @ teenager ’ s 12-year-old sister found the bodies of her mother and sister in the @ @ @ @ @ .
“ After contact with the suspect , ” the girl fled the home , @ @ @ @ @ a neighbor ’ s home , police said .
Police found Jackson and the others @ @ @ @ @ Police said Jackson had convictions for drug sales , assault with a deadly weapon on @ @ @ @ @ under the influence and had been arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence last month .

Three people, including a 14-year-old girl, were shot in an apparent murder-suicide in the Bay Area, police said Tuesday.
Raymond Thomas Jackson, 50, of Vallejo used a shotgun to kill his 53-year-old domestic partner and her 14-year-old daughter before turning the gun on himself, police said in a statement.
Police were called shortly after midnight after the teenager’s 12-year-old sister found the bodies of her mother and sister in the living room, police said.
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“After contact with the suspect,” the girl fled the home, called 911 and ran to a neighbor’s home, police said.
Police found Jackson and the others dead in the home.
Police said Jackson had convictions for drug sales, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and driving under the influence and had been arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence last month.


latimes--2020-04-21--First heat wave of 2020 will arrive in Southern California  this week

A ridge of high pressure off the coast will spread over California , bringing the first heat wave of 2020 , the National Weather Service said .
High temperatures of 85 to 95 will be common , with the hottest readings on Friday and Saturday .
Several days of above-normal temperatures could last from Thursday into early next week .
Readings could be 15 to 20 degrees above normal .
Nighttime lows are expected to be 55 to 65 , about 5 to 10 degrees above normal .
Moderate to strong northwest to north winds are expected , peaking in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through Thursday .
Wind-prone areas such as southern Santa Barbara County , the Interstate 5 corridor and the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys are expected to see the strongest winds .
Winds will weaken and turn more northeasterly into Saturday .
High-wind watches are in effect for the mountains of L.A. , Ventura and Santa Barbara counties from Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon .
High pressure to the north of the region will cause gusty northwest to north winds through Thursday , said Eric Boldt of the National Weather Service in Oxnard .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rockies on Friday , the winds will swing around to the northeast .
Winds always blow from high pressure toward lower pressure , and are created by the pressure gradient — essentially the difference in pressure .
In this instance , the lower pressure is mostly over southern Arizona and northern Mexico .
This setup occurs at the surface .
Higher in the atmosphere , the jet stream may lend upper-level support .
Winds are expected to be 15 to 30 mph with gusts of 30 to 50 mph in wind-prone areas .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I-5 corridor and in the Montecito Hills and through the Gaviota Pass .
Downed trees and branches are possible , as are power outages .
The offshore winds will combine with the warming air mass to cause an extended period of unseasonable warmth during which some daily records could be broken .
The jet stream that plunged into California earlier this month , bringing uncommonly chilly , wet conditions , has shifted to the north , funneling rain and mountain snow into the Pacific Northwest .
That wintry early-April pattern will be replaced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ridge of high pressure that will expand into California and the Southwest .
Fire weather concerns are minimal because of high fuel moisture , but relative humidity will dip to 12 % to 25 % , with the lowest readings Thursday and Friday .
The ridge of high pressure , if it persists , could keep conditions very warm into early next week .
There is no rain on the horizon for the foreseeable future .

A strong ridge of high pressure will bring heat, and the hottest days will be Friday and Saturday.
A ridge of high pressure off the coast will spread over California, bringing the first heat wave of 2020, the National Weather Service said. High temperatures of 85 to 95 will be common, with the hottest readings on Friday and Saturday.
Several days of above-normal temperatures could last from Thursday into early next week. Readings could be 15 to 20 degrees above normal. Nighttime lows are expected to be 55 to 65, about 5 to 10 degrees above normal.
Moderate to strong northwest to north winds are expected, peaking in the afternoon and overnight hours Wednesday night through Thursday. Wind-prone areas such as southern Santa Barbara County, the Interstate 5 corridor and the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys are expected to see the strongest winds. Winds will weaken and turn more northeasterly into Saturday.
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High-wind watches are in effect for the mountains of L.A., Ventura and Santa Barbara counties from Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon.
High pressure to the north of the region will cause gusty northwest to north winds through Thursday, said Eric Boldt of the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Then as high pressure builds over the Rockies on Friday, the winds will swing around to the northeast.
High pressure at the surface will build over the Rockies Friday, resulting in strong northeasterly winds. (Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times)
Winds always blow from high pressure toward lower pressure, and are created by the pressure gradient — essentially the difference in pressure. In this instance, the lower pressure is mostly over southern Arizona and northern Mexico. This setup occurs at the surface. Higher in the atmosphere, the jet stream may lend upper-level support.
Winds are expected to be 15 to 30 mph with gusts of 30 to 50 mph in wind-prone areas. Gusts could reach 65 mph through the I-5 corridor and in the Montecito Hills and through the Gaviota Pass.
Downed trees and branches are possible, as are power outages.
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The offshore winds will combine with the warming air mass to cause an extended period of unseasonable warmth during which some daily records could be broken.
The jet stream that plunged into California earlier this month, bringing uncommonly chilly, wet conditions, has shifted to the north, funneling rain and mountain snow into the Pacific Northwest. That wintry early-April pattern will be replaced by summery conditions, courtesy of a ridge of high pressure that will expand into California and the Southwest.
Fire weather concerns are minimal because of high fuel moisture, but relative humidity will dip to 12% to 25%, with the lowest readings Thursday and Friday.
The ridge of high pressure, if it persists, could keep conditions very warm into early next week. There is no rain on the horizon for the foreseeable future.


latimes--2020-04-21--California bullet train officials reveal ethics probe and OK plan for L.A. Union Station

A California bullet train consultant facing allegations that its executives retaliated against employees for bringing forth negative information about the project has hired a law firm to independently investigate the matter .
The investigation was disclosed by the California High-Speed Rail Authority at a meeting of its Board of Directors on Tuesday where it separately approved a plan to help fund the modernization of Los Angeles Union Station .
The Times first reported the allegations about the firm , Montreal-based WSP , last month .
Brian Kelly , chief executive of the rail authority , said that WSP , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” hired the law firm to investigate allegations by former WSP employees quoted in The Times .
The Times story reported that Mark Styles , WSP ’ s former senior supervisory scheduler for construction in the Central Valley , was ordered to withhold information that could be politically damaging to the project .
“ I was told to shut up and not say anything , ” Styles said .
“ I was told I didn ’ t understand the political arena the project was in .
I told them I am not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my job.
” Styles left his job at WSP in November .
The project is also being investigated by the criminal division of the U.S. Department of Transportation ’ s inspector general , The Times has learned .
Former project officials told The Times that they were contacted by investigators out of the agency ’ s San Francisco office .
Styles said he was among those contacted .
A former state engineer was contacted by the FBI , as well .
The FBI and a spokesperson for the inspector general declined to comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the project ’ s dysfunctional corporate culture was corroborated by a dozen current and former officials who work on the project .
Two other former WSP executives , Todd Bilstein and Vera Lovejoy , told The Times that they too were discouraged from sharing bad news .
WSP officials rejected the allegations , saying that the firm prepares realistic and transparent reports on the projects it works on .
The investigation disclosure was made at Tuesday ’ s board meeting in response to a question raised by board member Martha Escutia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vice president for government relations .
Escutia said she raised the matter because it was important to protect the integrity of the project .
Kelly did not identify the law firm conducting the investigation , but Denise Turner Roth , a spokeswoman for WSP , said it had hired the San Francisco office of Fox Rothschild , a major U.S. law firm .
She said WSP launched the investigation and informed the rail authority .
A call to the firm ’ s office was not returned .
Separately , the rail authority board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide its $ 423-million share of modernizing L.A. 's Union Station .
The $ 950-million project would replace “ stub-in ” tracks , which force trains to back up out of the station , with run-through tracks .
The plan would cut many minutes off current schedules with seven elevated platforms with the run-through tracks that would pass over a bridge across the 101 Freeway and then turn toward the Los Angeles River .
The improvements would also increase passenger capacity at the station .
The investment is part of the rail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles and San Francisco .
The Bay Area is getting an even bigger investment with a plan to electrify the 50-mile Caltrain commuter system between San Jose and San Francisco .
In the public comment period of the meeting , several speakers came forward to endorse a proposal by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon ( D-Lakewood ) , in which $ 5 billion of funding allocated to the Central Valley construction would be spent instead to improve the Southern California Metrolink system and the Bay Area ’ s commuter system .
Rendon said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-speed rail and in the meantime provide greater public value .
A spokesman for a Little Tokyo business group asked the board to give serious consideration to Rendon ’ s proposal .

A top consultant for California’s high-speed rail project is investigating allegations that it clamped down on employees bringing forth negative information about the project, which is behind schedule in the Central Valley. Above, project construction in Fresno in 2018.
A California bullet train consultant facing allegations that its executives retaliated against employees for bringing forth negative information about the project has hired a law firm to independently investigate the matter.
The investigation was disclosed by the California High-Speed Rail Authority at a meeting of its Board of Directors on Tuesday where it separately approved a plan to help fund the modernization of Los Angeles Union Station.
The Times first reported the allegations about the firm, Montreal-based WSP, last month.
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Brian Kelly, chief executive of the rail authority, said that WSP, which it calls its “rail delivery partner,” hired the law firm to investigate allegations by former WSP employees quoted in The Times.
The Times story reported that Mark Styles, WSP’s former senior supervisory scheduler for construction in the Central Valley, was ordered to withhold information that could be politically damaging to the project.
“I was told to shut up and not say anything,” Styles said. “I was told I didn’t understand the political arena the project was in. I told them I am not going to shut up. This is my job.”
Styles left his job at WSP in November.
The project is also being investigated by the criminal division of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s inspector general, The Times has learned. Former project officials told The Times that they were contacted by investigators out of the agency’s San Francisco office.
Styles said he was among those contacted. A former state engineer was contacted by the FBI, as well. The FBI and a spokesperson for the inspector general declined to comment in recent months.
Styles’ account of the project’s dysfunctional corporate culture was corroborated by a dozen current and former officials who work on the project. Two other former WSP executives, Todd Bilstein and Vera Lovejoy, told The Times that they too were discouraged from sharing bad news.
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WSP officials rejected the allegations, saying that the firm prepares realistic and transparent reports on the projects it works on.
The investigation disclosure was made at Tuesday’s board meeting in response to a question raised by board member Martha Escutia, a former state senator and now USC vice president for government relations.
Escutia said she raised the matter because it was important to protect the integrity of the project.
Kelly did not identify the law firm conducting the investigation, but Denise Turner Roth, a spokeswoman for WSP, said it had hired the San Francisco office of Fox Rothschild, a major U.S. law firm. She said WSP launched the investigation and informed the rail authority. A call to the firm’s office was not returned.
Separately, the rail authority board voted Tuesday to approve a long-delayed plan to provide its $423-million share of modernizing L.A.’s Union Station. The $950-million project would replace “stub-in” tracks, which force trains to back up out of the station, with run-through tracks.
The plan would cut many minutes off current schedules with seven elevated platforms with the run-through tracks that would pass over a bridge across the 101 Freeway and then turn toward the Los Angeles River. The improvements would also increase passenger capacity at the station.
The investment is part of the rail project’s so-called bookend investments into Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Bay Area is getting an even bigger investment with a plan to electrify the 50-mile Caltrain commuter system between San Jose and San Francisco.
In the public comment period of the meeting, several speakers came forward to endorse a proposal by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), in which $5 billion of funding allocated to the Central Valley construction would be spent instead to improve the Southern California Metrolink system and the Bay Area’s commuter system.
Rendon said the investments would prepare the region for high-speed rail and in the meantime provide greater public value. A spokesman for a Little Tokyo business group asked the board to give serious consideration to Rendon’s proposal.


latimes--2020-04-21--Garcetti pushes law protecting displaced workers from being replaced by cheaper labor

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said Tuesday evening that he intends to sign a worker retention ordinance that could protect people who have been laid off or furloughed by requiring companies to rehire them based on seniority .
“ Those folks with decades of experience and seniority , who support families and communities , can ’ t be the victims when we get back to work , ” Garcetti said .
“ For so many thousands of displaced workers in these industries , this could mean at least a little bit of certainty at this moment of so much insecurity and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ navigate this crisis.
” He said the City Council is taking up the ordinance Wednesday .
At his daily press conference , the mayor said the idea was to prevent senior workers being replaced by newer , cheaper ones when the economy comes back .
Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday confirmed 1,400 more coronavirus cases , 880 of which were included in a backlog from laboratories that had not previously reported results through the county ’ s electronic system .
The county also reported , bringing the toll to at least 663 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested for COVID-19 , and at least 15,140 have tested positive , Public Health Department director Barbara Ferrer said .

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said Tuesday evening that he intends to sign a worker retention ordinance that could protect people who have been laid off or furloughed by requiring companies to rehire them based on seniority.
“Those folks with decades of experience and seniority, who support families and communities, can’t be the victims when we get back to work,” Garcetti said. “For so many thousands of displaced workers in these industries, this could mean at least a little bit of certainty at this moment of so much insecurity and a whole lot of fairness as we navigate this crisis.”
He said the City Council is taking up the ordinance Wednesday.
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At his daily press conference, the mayor said the idea was to prevent senior workers being replaced by newer, cheaper ones when the economy comes back.
Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday confirmed 1,400 more coronavirus cases, 880 of which were included in a backlog from laboratories that had not previously reported results through the county’s electronic system.
The county also reported 46 new coronavirus-linked deaths , bringing the toll to at least 663.
More than 89,000 residents have been tested for COVID-19, and at least 15,140 have tested positive, Public Health Department director Barbara Ferrer said.