statewide California news
Rallies were held across California Friday in support of allowing youth to play sports during the pandemic. With its current ban on youth sports expiring Jan. 25, the state has yet to issue updated guidance. But advocates say athletics support kids’ well-being and they can play safely. Chip Yost reports for the KTLA 5 News at 6 on Jan. 15, 2021.
A man who led authorities on a high-speed pursuit with 75 pounds of cocaine in his vehicle in 2019 has pleaded guilty to a federal charge, officials announced Friday. Anthony Martinez, 40, of La Habra, admitted to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Martinez and seven co-defendants were charged by a federal grand jury last February, when it was alleged he was part of a narcotics trafficking conspiracy that stored large quantities of cocaine in stash houses in Baldwin Park and Covina. The drugs were then delivered to buyers throughout Southern California. On July 25, 2019, Martinez received two boxes from co-defendant Ryan Alexander Fischer, aka “Flaco,” in Whittier that contained 75 pounds of cocaine. Whittier police officers at one point pulled Martinez over, but he sped away and led authorities on a dangerous chase in which he veered into oncoming traffic and drove on the wrong side of the road, according to his plea agreement. He eventually pulled over in Fullerton, and that’s when police discovered the drugs. Martinez later…
Dodger Stadium takes center stage in L.A.’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Orange County officials announced Friday that some senior centers would be utilized as vaccination sites to help inoculate the elderly against COVID-19. “We’ve got to get mobile out into the neighborhoods and take the vaccine to them,” Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley said. But, without a large supply of available vaccine doses, local mayors said the plan cannot yet be implemented. The county currently has about 20,000 doses available for the public, with up to 35,000 doses expected to arrive in the coming week. And while a supersite has opened in the parking lot of Disneyland Resort for people over the age of 65, the slow delivery of vaccines was preventing the opening of additional locations, officials said. RELATED: Orange County Reports 3,158 New COVID-19 Cases, 82 Deaths But the short supply was not the only issue facing those in Orange County, with demand overwhelming the county’s online reservation system and problems with connectivity preventing some seniors from even signing up for appointments. “We already have, you know, about 10,000 households that don’t have access to the internet,” Santa Ana Mayor…
THOUSAND OAKS (CBSLA) – The cause of a wildfire in Thousand Oaks remained under investigation Friday as firefighters worked closer to containing the blaze. Despite strong wind gusts, full containment on the Erbes Fire was expected by Friday evening, according to Ventura County fire officials. Up to 250 acres have been charred in the fire. The Erbes Fire burns in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Jan. 14, 2021. (CBSLA) The Erbes Fire broke out at about 5 p.m. Thursday on the north side of Erbes Road, near Sunset Hills Boulevard by the 23 Freeway. About 70 homes were evacuated. However, the evacuation order was lifted a little before 9 p.m. Thursday. Ventura County Fire Department crews prevented the flames from reaching any homes, and no one was hurt. “We are gonna go out and get some Starbucks for them (the firefighters), at least, all we can do, you know” grateful Thousand Oaks homeowner told Enrico Soracco Friday morning. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
MOUNTAIN CENTER (CBSLA) – Some residents in the San Jacinto Mountains community of Mountain Center were allowed to return home Friday afternoon after being evacuated due to a brush fire. Jan. 15, 2021. (OnSceneTV) The 600-acre Bonita fire was reported at 1:15 a.m. in the 28000 block of Bonita Vista Road, according to the CAL Fire Riverside County Fire Department. Evacuation orders have been issued for all residents of Mountain Center, CAL Fire reports. It’s unclear if any homes have been destroyed. At least 250 fire personnel were battling the blaze on the ground and in the air at one point. An evacuation center has been set up at the Banning Community Center at 789 N. San Gorgonio Ave. This is the second major fire to break out in the region. On Thursday, the Erbes Fire erupted in Thousand Oaks, also forcing evacuations. Forward progress on that blaze has been stopped and evacuation orders were lifted.
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – New research out of Britain suggests mindfulness courses can improve mental health, but may not be for everyone. The popular form of meditation is practiced around the world. “For most people, in most settings, it will improve depression, anxiety, stress, and well-being,” said Dr. Julieta Galante of the University of Cambridge’s Department of Psychiatry. A University of Cambridge study looked at data from 29 countries and found while community mindfulness courses can improve mental health, in at least one in 20 trial settings it did not help anxiety and depression. “In some cases, a few cases, it may not be beneficial. It may just not have an effect,” said Dr. Galante. Researchers followed almost 12,000 participants, including in the U.S. Most were women who took part in classes at work or college. They found mindfulness, compared with doing nothing, boosted mental health. “We did find a slight advantage of the mindfulness courses that have an element of physical activity in them,” Dr. Galante said. British body coach Joe Wicks of The Body Coach TV says fitness and mindfulness work hand in hand.…
Amid reports that some Los Angeles firefighters are refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccination, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday that he would “potentially” make the vaccination mandatory if firefighters remain reluctant in a few months. “It’s something that we’re talking about, especially those who will be interacting with the public,” Garcetti said, adding that other city workers could also face mandatory vaccinations. Garcetti said that people will likely have an incentive to take the vaccine as the economy reopens. “For instance, you probably can’t get in Dodger Stadium for the first games if you haven’t been vaccinated, go to concerts, do some of the things that are part of what we do,” he said. Read the full story on LATimes.com.
California’s governor and the mayor of Los Angeles triumphantly touted Dodger Stadium on Friday as a new mass coronavirus vaccination site capable of administering 12,000 shots a day, despite acknowledging they had no idea how many vaccines the state can expect to get from the federal government. “As soon as we know, we’ll be able to communicate that more fully to members of the public,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a news conference at the stadium, following contentions by governors that the Trump administration is walking back supply promises. Newsom said he and other governors were told earlier this week that a reserve supply of 50 million doses would be distributed. California has been given 3 million doses so far and was anticipating hundreds of thousands more but is now working to confirm those doses are available. Michael Pratt, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said there has been no reduction in doses shipped to states. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said earlier this week that the state was expanding its vaccine eligibility to include people over 65, teachers and child…
Jesus Alegria was skateboarding with some friends at a Compton park on an afternoon in April when Deputy Miguel Vega and his partner, Chris Hernandez, pulled up. Hands on their holsters, the deputies approached a group of teens. Alegria, 24, and his friends shouted at them to stop harassing the kids. The deputies, he said, rounded on them and words were exchanged. Vega suddenly grabbed Alegria’s wrists and shoved him into the back of the patrol car. The deputy didn’t handcuff him and didn’t ask Alegria’s name. The wild minutes that followed ended with Alegria bleeding from the head and eventually triggered a criminal investigation into the deputies, who also face a civil lawsuit filed by Alegria that alleges they kidnapped him and then lied to cover up their actions. This account of what happened is based on interviews with Alegria, his father and others, as well as the lawsuit, video footage, and law enforcement and medical records. Lawyers for the deputies declined to discuss the case. Sheriff’s officials did not respond to questions about Alegria’s claims, leaving it unclear whether the department challenges his…
President-elect Joe Biden pledged Friday to boost supplies of coronavirus vaccine and set up new vaccination sites to meet his goal of 100 million shots in 100 days. It’s part of a broader COVID strategy that also seeks to straighten out snags in testing and ensure minority communities are not left out. “Some wonder if we are reaching too far,” Biden said. “Let me be clear, I’m convinced we can get it done.” The real payoff, Biden said, will come from uniting the nation in a new effort grounded in science. Biden spoke a day after unveiling a $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan” to confront the virus and provide temporary support for a shaky economy. About $400 billion of the plan is focused on measures aimed at controlling the virus. Those range from mass vaccination centers to more sophisticated scientific analysis of new strains and squads of local health workers to trace the contacts of infected people. “You have my word: We will manage the hell out of this operation,” Biden declared. He underscored a need for Congress to approve more money and for people to keep…
Amid reports that some firefighters are refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccination, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said he would “potentially” make the vaccination mandatory in a few months if firefighters remain reluctant.
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Issues with vaccination rollouts and some confusion about who gets it when has been concerning some Southern California residents. Current state guidelines say the following: All people in Phase 1A should continue to be vaccinated, which includes healthcare workers and long-term care residents Residents 65 and older should begin getting vaccinations and based on supply, they should prioritize distribution based on older age, occupational risk exposure and residence in vulnerable communities. Some confusion set in after a few people claimed that in instances where they were extra vaccines at the end of the day, people not within the parameters of what officials have laid out were receiving an early dose. The Los Angeles Fire Department says it is unaware of anyone not fitting into the appropriate category who received the vaccine at the Hansen Dam vaccination site. However, officials did say in Phase 1A guidelines that “exceptions may be made” to the included groups in this phase of distribution “in order to prevent any vaccine wastage.” “There have been isolated reports of vaccines being lost at the end of the day,”…
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner Friday released the findings from the Nov. 30 inquest into the death of 18-year-old Andres Guardado. The stated goal of the inquest was to determine the circumstances, manner and cause of Guardado’s deaths. Retired Justice Candace Cooper, the appointed hearing officer presiding over the inquest, listed five findings in her four-page report as follow: The deceased is Andres Guardado Pineda (Mr. Guardado); Mr. Guardado’s date of death was June 18, 2020; Mr. Guardado died in the driveway at 420 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena, CA 90248 at approximately 18:01 hours (6:01 p.m.); The medical cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds; and The manner of death was by the hands of another person other than by accident. Cooper said she came to those conclusions following the inquest and subsequent review of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department files delivered to her under seal that would not be released publicly. Following the release of the findings, Guardado’s family released the following statement through their attorneys: “Justice Cooper has confirmed what we knew all along. We now call upon…
INGLEWOOD (CBSLA) – A man was shot and killed at a massive street intersection in Inglewood Friday. Police are still looking for the suspect. It happened around 10:40 a.m. at the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and West Century Boulevard. Police discovered a male victim on the southwest corner suffering from gunshot wounds, said Lt. Oswald Figueroa of the Inglewood Police Department. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, Figueroa said. There was no information on who the shooter might be or the circumstances that lead up to the victim being shot. The name of the victim has not yet been released. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the department’s homicide bureau at 310-412-5246. (© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — The Orange County Health Care Agency Friday reported 3,158 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and 82 additional deaths, bringing countywide totals to 205,911 cases and 2,277 deaths. Officials said the high number of deaths reported were due to “data transmission delays between CalConnect and CalREDIE.” We have posted the #OCCOVID19 cases reported to us today at https://t.co/XiphdjsVuR. Please know that the high number of deaths reported out today (from a data perspective) are due to data transmission delays between CalConnect and CalREDIE. pic.twitter.com/xE1R7L5BvR — OC Health Care Agency (@ochealth) January 15, 2021 Since Sunday, the county has reported 236 deaths. Last week, the county reported a total of 140 fatalities. Of the deaths reported Friday, 12 were residents in skilled nursing facilities and five lived in assisted living facilities — bringing pandemic totals to 721 residents of skilled nursing facilities and 248 assisted living facility residents. Health officials reported COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped from 2,169 on Thursday to 2,101 on Friday. The number of COVID-19 patients being treated in intensive care units also dropped from 544 Thursday to 534 Friday, though the county’s…
