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Newsletter: Looking for the peak

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Socially distanced bikers and walkers, against a backdrop of the Queen Mary, make their way along pedestrian and beach bike path on the first day that Long Beach reopened the path on Monday May 11, 2020. The city of Long Beach eased a few of its public health restrictions, allowing under certain guidelines the reopening of pedestrian and beach bike paths, tennis centers and courts. Beach bathrooms are also reopening, but the parking lots and beaches still remain closed.   (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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Traffic remains light on the southbound 110 Freeway headed toward downtown Los Angeles on April 28.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dominique Barrett, center, known as “King Vader” to his 2.4 million TikTok followers, prepares to shoot a video on April 30 in Glendora.  (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
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Cody Purcell of Redondo Beach rides a wave, glowing from the bioluminescence, in Hermosa Beach, CA, after midnight Friday morning, May 8.  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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Friends play spikeball, a game perfect for social distancing on an open but restricted San Buenaventura State Beach.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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The majority of golfers are wearing masks while hitting balls on the driving range at Van Buren Executive Golf Course in Riverside.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Beaches including Harbor Cove Beach were open but beachgoers were not supposed to be sitting on the sand.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Tango instructor Yelizaveta Nersesova leads a Zoom tango event from her Los Angeles home April 27 that brought together hundreds of dancers from around the world.  (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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Grocery store workers, joined by United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 770 representatives and community members, hold a rally in support of strict social distancing on May 1 at a Ralphs store in Hollywood where 19 employees have tested positive for COVID-19.  (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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Mostly masked commuters keep their distance from one another on a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles on April 29.  (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
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Gregory Kuhl, 69, heads home after a shopping trip in Hollywood on April 28. Big cracks in the street, cars parked in driveways blocking sidewalks and uneven pavement levels make navigating his route difficult.  (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
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Tenants and their supporters from across Los Angeles gather at city hall to call on L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, the L.A. City Council and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to cancel rent and mortgage payments during the COVID-19 crisis.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Aerial view of over 100 vehicles lined up at the West Valley COVID-19 testing center at Warner Center in Woodland Hills.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Senior Mason Wise, left, helps his sister, Mackenzie, a sophomore, clean out her PE locker at El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills. School officials were allowing no more than five students at a time on campus to take home their belongings.   (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Shuttered storefront businesses in the garment district of Los Angeles. California’s unemployment rate has skyrocketed since the statewide coronavirus shutdown took effect.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Healthcare workers celebrate as Claudia Martinez is discharged from the ICU after she recovered from COVID-19 at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Chula Vista.  (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Carson residents Kaeli Burks, 3, left, and her cousin Bailey Watson, 5, look out the window of their car after their mothers helped them with self-testing at a new drive-up testing site for COVID-19 in Carson. Free COVID-19 testing is available to all city residents thanks to a partnership between the city and US Health Fairs.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Norm and Tracy Kahn enjoy eating dinner outside on a small cafe table sitting in blue chairs on their side yard during the coronavirus pandemic on April 27 in Riverside. “During this pandemic, eating outside offers us an opportunity to change surrounding and appreciate the calmness of being outdoors among trees, scents from nature and the sounds of birds,” she said. Also adding, “Mixing up where we eat puts variety into our days and takes away the sameness of feeling trapped at home.”   (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center nurses carry supplies outside the hospital.   (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Tom Sean Foley pauses on a walk with his kids, Cathelen Claire, “C.C.,” 3, and Timothy Joseph, 4, to take a photo in front of the “Love Wall,” mural by artist Curtis Kulig, outside of Smashbox Studios in Culver City.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters stand along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on April 26. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus.  (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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People make orders at a food truck along Shoreline Avenue in Long Beach.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Medical staff, wearing protective gear, work inside a COVID-19 isolation area inside the emergency department at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, where patients with the virus are being treated.   (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Neighbors practice social distancing while enjoying the nice weather near The Strand in Hermosa Beach.  (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
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Counter-protesters attend a protest to call on state and local officials to reopen the economy in downtown Los Angeles.  (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
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A group of protesters cheer on cars during a vehicle caravan protest to call on state and local officials to reopen the economy in downtown Los Angeles.  (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
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Cedar Mountain Post Acute Rehabilitation staff member Navi Cavaltera waters a flower pot put up by the community to show their support for the nursing staff of the facility in Yucaipa. Eighteen of 20 coronavirus-related deaths in Yucaipa were residents of the skilled nursing facility.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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A pedestrian wearing a protective mask passes a mural on a store on Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Jonte Florence, a freestyle dancer, does a handstand on a mostly empty Hollywood Walk of Fame. Florence said he normally performs for hundreds of tourists along the busy street.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The Tyrannosaurus rex overlooking the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue wears a protective mask while practicing social distancing.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Businesses are shuttered and pedestrians are few and far between on Hollywood Boulevard.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Daniel Rogerson wears a vintage military gas mask while riding a bike along the beach path in Santa Monica, which is closed to enforce social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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A face mask seller in colorful dress appears to be part of a mural behind a bus stop on Soto Street in Los Angeles.   (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Life around Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Soto Street has slowed down as California officials extended stay-at-home orders into May and residents entered Easter weekend with unprecedented limits on their movements.   (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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UC Irvine Medical Center health care workers return their gratitude as about 25 Orange County first responder vehicles participate in a drive-by parade of gratitude as they battle COVID-19 at the hospital.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Billy Budd, 55, of Hollywood, walks along Hollywood Boulevard with a protective face covering. Budd is a scenic artist for movies and television who is currently out of work due to the coronavirus outbreak.   (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Stuart Reyes and his sister, Stephanie, sell masks for $5 each on the 3000 block of West Century Boulevard in Inglewood. Stuart Reyes said he is selling masks to support his mother.   (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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A jogger runs on a closed trail past dozens of pieces of caution tape, torn off by hikers and mountain bikers at El Escorpion Canyon Park in West Hills.   (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Alex Herron and nurse Mercy Pineda at a blood drive sponsored by USC athletics and the American Red Cross at USC’s Galen Center.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Los Angeles City Hall displays blue lights to show support for healthcare workers and first responders.  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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After being indoors for several days because of rainy weather and coronavirus stay-at-home orders, Olivia Jacobs, 4, and her mom, Cia Jacobs, enjoy a warm and sunny afternoon making chalk drawings on the sidewalk in front of their home in West Hills.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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An Oceanview Plaza security guard sports a whimsical mask while on patrol.   (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Jacob De Wilde, left, and Lesli Lytle load a car with food during a food distribution organized to mark Good Friday.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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As a late season storm continues to make its way across the Southland, a young basketball player dribbles along an alley through an Elysian Park neighborhood in Los Angeles.  (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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People are silhouetted in a window of an apartment building in Hollywood, where a stay-at-home order remains in effect to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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The Wilshire Grand Center display blue lights and a heart to show support for healthcare workers and first responders.  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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Women wear masks as they stroll along Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Wearing masks while outdoors is mandatory in the city of Los Angeles.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Patients are removed from Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center after 39 tested positive for the coronavirus and nursing staff was not showing up to work.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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A specimen is turned in at the new mobile testing site for people with symptoms of the coronavirus at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles.  (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
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Hippie Kitchen in Los Angeles hands out food, water and toiletries to homeless people and residents of skid row. Additionally, masks were offered to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus.  (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
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Nurses pose for a fun photo during a break in drive-through public testing for the coronavirus at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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A woman shows a notice from her doctor that allows her to obtain a test for coronavirus at a new drive-up testing site in a parking lot at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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A person who wishes to remain anonymous strikes from her car to support McDonald’s employees who are demanding the company cover healthcare costs of any worker or immediate family member who gets sick from COVID-19 in Los Angeles.  (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
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Cassidy Roosen, with Beach Cities Health District, holds up a sign that says, “We’re All in This Together,” while waiting to direct cars at a drive-through, appointment-only coronavirus testing location at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Grace Carter, 15, of Riverside, practices a dance routine at home after dance classes and school were canceled. She has to use the Zoom app on her iPhone to practice with her dance group. “It’s hard,” she said. “My bedroom is a smaller space. I miss all my friends at the studio.”  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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A man works from his home in Long Beach.  (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A San Bernardino County healthcare worker takes a sample at a coronavirus drive-through testing site at the county fairgrounds in Victorville.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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A Metro general service employee disinfects a bench in Boyle Heights.  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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A runner jogs past the Pottery Barn in Pasadena. Some businesses in the area have boarded up their stores.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Raquel Lezama and daughter Monica Ramos collect meals for their family at Manual Arts High School. Lezama was laid off from her $17.76-an-hour job at a Beverly Hills hotel.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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The Iron City Tavern in San Pedro tries an incentive to lure takeout customers.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Healthcare workers gather outside UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center to call for further action from the federal government in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.   (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kristen Edgerle, of Victorville, collects information from a blood donor before drawing blood at The Richard Nixon Presidential Library blood drive during the coronavirus pandemic in Yorba Linda.  (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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Shauna Jin, of Los Angeles, with her dog, Bodhi, practices social distancing with John Kiss, of Los Angeles, at the entrance of Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles.  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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A lending library had some additional useful items, including a roll of toilet paper and cans of beans and corn, in a Hermosa Beach neighborhood.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters drive by the Getty House, the home of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, in Hancock Park. Tenant advocates are demanding a total moratorium on evictions during the coronavirus crisis.   (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Venice residents Emily Berry and Gavin Kelley take a break at Venice Beach. Berry, a cocktail waitress at Enterprise Fish Co., lost her job due to the coronavirus outbreak. Kelley, a manager at a performing arts school with a focus on music, said that he still has a job and that classes at the school will resume online this coming Monday.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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The JW Marriott at L.A. Live is sharing a message of hope with red lights in 34 windows, creating a 19-story display on the hotel’s north side.  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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Juan Diaz Jr., a lifelong Dodgers fan, prays that the season will start by May in front of Dodger Stadium on what would have been opening day.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Hayley, CEO and founder of Love My Neighbor Foundation, right, dances with Crystal Armster, 51, while she and her colleagues continue to feed the homeless on skid row amid the pandemic.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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A masked passenger on a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles.   (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dede Oneal waits for a coronavirus test at the Crenshaw Christian Center in South Los Angeles.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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A man in a mask passes a closed restaurant along Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles.   (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Artist Corie Mattie paints a mural on the side of a pop-up store as a man takes a picture in West Hollywood.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Medical assistant Zoila Villalta works with Rosie Boston, 32, of Glendale, who is donating blood for her first time at L.A. Care Health Plan downtown.   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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A couple wait for a bus outside the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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With all Los Angeles schools closed until further notice, LAUSD buses sit idle in Gardena.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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A lone traveler makes his way to catch a flight in Tom Bradley International Terminal.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Denise Young looks on as her daughter, Allison, 9, a fourth-grader at EARThS (Environmental Academy of Research Technology and Earth Sciences) Magnet School in Newbury Park, receives a Chromebook.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Hollywood Boulevard is devoid of the usual crowds.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Michael Ray, 11, plays before a movie at the Paramount Drive-In.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Isabella Leader, 15, counts how many flags have been left for World War II veteran Lt. Col. Sam Sachs who was celebrating his 105th birthday at the Mom & Dad’s House, an assisted living facility, in Lakewood. Lt. Col. Sachs appealed to the public for birthday cards after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of a big celebration and wound up receiving thousands, including a letter and photo from President Trump.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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A look inside the complicated process of trying to determine when the coronavirus public health crisis will peak in California.

TOP STORIES

Looking for the Peak

As health officials warn of dire days ahead in the coronavirus crisis, it’s natural to wonder: Will this be the worst of the pandemic? The short answer is that no one knows for sure, and the peak will differ for various parts of the U.S. But the longer, complicated answer reveals much about the fight ahead.

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In California, the San Francisco Bay Area suffered one of the nation’s earliest outbreaks of COVID-19, but cases from Southern California and the Central Valley are now outpacing it, threatening a much larger population, according to a Times analysis of county health data.

Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern, Stanislaus and Tulare counties are now seeing faster rates of newly detected coronavirus cases than any of the counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, The Times analysis found. And with more than 6,000 confirmed cases in L.A. County alone, chances of exposure are increasing rapidly.

“If you have enough supplies in your home, this would be the week to skip shopping altogether,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “Without everyone taking every possible precaution, our numbers can start skyrocketing,” she said. “It really is time for those people who maybe haven’t taken this seriously before ... this would be the week to stay home ... and it may be next week as well.”

Though California has yet to see the worst of the pandemic, there are signs that some of the more dire predictions might not come to fruition. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has tried to prepare the state for the worst-case scenario, said the state had enough ventilators to lend 500 to the Strategic National Stockpile to help New York and other COVID-19 hot spots facing shortages of the desperately needed medical devices — given that California officials say coronavirus cases are not expected to peak here until May.

Meanwhile, the influential Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent population health research center at the University of Washington, predicted a significantly lower death count in California than its earlier models, based on new data from Spain and Italy. Other models, though, are much bleaker.

The Mad Dash for Supplies

Emergency management officials say they are now moving massive quantities of protective masks, gloves, gowns and other medical supplies to California hospitals, now that the gear has started flowing out of federal, state and local stockpiles in recent days. Some of the material has been kept in secret government warehouses. The numbers cited are staggering: 41 million N95 protective masks, 600,000 gowns, 500,000 face shields and more than 2.3 million sets of gloves, according to state emergency officials.

Details about the medical supply chain, which have thus far been shrouded in secrecy, come from confidential state briefings obtained by The Times.

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Yet, despite the large quantities, anxiety remains high among doctors and nurses that they might burn through the gear they need as the medical crisis stretches over weeks or months, as many experts expect.

Trouble in the U.K.

The U.S. isn’t the only country facing a bleak week. Britain is also facing a projected increase of illness and fatalities, having surpassed devastated Italy in daily coronavirus deaths over the weekend. And in a dramatic illustration of the crisis, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to intensive care at a London hospital as he battles infection.

Johnson, 55, is the first major world leader known to be so seriously sickened with COVID-19. Initially, the prime minister, like Trump, struck a dismissive tone about the coronavirus’ dangers. Unlike Trump, Johnson ordered a nationwide lockdown. In the short term, if Johnson is unable to perform his duties, foreign secretary Dominic Raab could step in, but the long-term picture would not be so clear.

More Top Coronavirus Headlines

— President Trump has likened himself to a “wartime president,” but the U.S. is battling the coronavirus without a war-room-like command center after dismantling the team that was trained to handle just such a pandemic.

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— The Supreme Court’s five Republican appointees came to the aid of Wisconsin’s Republican leaders and blocked a judge’s order that would have given voters an extra week to submit their ballots by mail amid the coronavirus crisis. The fight over the Wisconsin primary election, taking place today, could foreshadow more clashes.

— The coronavirus is taking a growing toll on police officers, firefighters and other first responders in California, with at least three dying and dozens infected.

— Thousands of foreign doctors are working on front lines of the battle against COVID-19 in the U.S. They worry they’ll be deported if they stop working.

— L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that any L.A. County resident who has symptoms and wants to be tested for the coronavirus can now apply online.

Plus, here are some tips on getting through the days ahead. For more, sign up for Coronavirus Today, a special edition of The Times’ Health and Science newsletter. As with all our newsletters, it’s free:

— Your guide to coronavirus face masks and coverings: How to do it right.

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— How to care for someone with COVID-19.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Baseball is on hold this year. But in 1925, Los Angeles Angels fans experienced a different kind of loss. A crowd of eager fans had packed Washington Park to see the Angels play the Portland Beavers. But The Times reported it didn’t end in victory: The Beavers scored four runs alone in the eighth inning, until the Angels found their footing again and “quieted the din of Beaver bats biffing horsehide.” The Beavers won 7-3, which “spoiled the opener for the Seraphs (Angels nickname) and most of the 12,482 fans who paid to see the Angels get off to a flying start.”

April 7, 1925: Portland Beavers' Emmet McCann gets a first inning hit in season opener game against the Los Angeles Angels.
April 7, 1925: The Portland Beavers’ Emmet McCann gets a first-inning hit in the season opener against the Los Angeles Angels. The catcher is the Angels’ Gus Sanberg and umpire is Perle Casey.
(David Mann / Los Angeles Times)

CALIFORNIA

— Thousands of Los Angeles Unified high school students have not been showing up to online classes. Here’s how one teacher tried to reach her students and their families — with limited success. Education officials described launching online learning during coronavirus “akin to landing on the moon.”

— California’s grocery store workers and medical professionals are getting a lot of attention. But they’re not alone on the front lines: Waste workers have become “warriers” who sort recyclables and collect trash.

— With millions of Southern Californians hunkering down at home, traffic has been blissfully light, but speeds are up by as much as 30% on some L.A. streets, prompting a crackdown.

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— Tankers and container vessels are a common sight on Southern California’s coast. Empty cruise ships now sit among them, biding their time until passengers might once again fill their cabins.

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NATION-WORLD

— In Chicago, black residents make up more than half of the confirmed coronavirus cases, even though they are 30% of the population.

— From HIV to swine flu to SARS to Ebola, scientists say we’re at increased risk for pandemics, and humanity’s destruction of the environment in partly to blame.

— As cases of the coronavirus overload the healthcare system in India, the rationing of medical care has already begun.

— The Trump administration designated a Russian white supremacist group as a terrorist organization, calling it the first time the label had been applied to such a racially motivated movement.

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— Trump said he had a “really wonderful, warm conversation” with Joe Biden about the coronavirus outbreak.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— Quibi has arrived. It faced lawsuits and a pandemic, but the platform is finally available for users. Here’s a look at its first offerings, including a rebooted “Punk’d” and a home renovation show focused on crime scenes.

— Global Citizen, the organization behind a tidal wave of at-home concerts shared during the pandemic, has tapped Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Elton John and more acts to headline one big concert for coronavirus relief.

— Artists in New York got a head start when venues started closing down several weeks ago. They have some tips to share with Californians on how to stay sane in crazy times.

— Trying to cope with despair? Take solace in the compassion and empathy of Bill Withers and John Prine, writes pop music critic Mikael Wood.

BUSINESS

— A new federal law gives freelancers desperately needed unemployment insurance coverage in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. But California employment officials have yet to implement the new rules because they’re awaiting federal guidance.

— Grabbing hold of a few glimmers of hope Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic could be slowing, investors sent stocks surging in a worldwide rally, capped by a 7% leap for the U.S. market.

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SPORTS

— The British Open is canceled for the first time since 1945. It’s not the only golf event affected by the coronavirus: The Masters has also been tentatively rescheduled for November.

— Two former Fox television executives are facing federal charges for wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a long-running government investigation into alleged bribery and corruption in international soccer.

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OPINION

— This could be the first “worst week” of many worst weeks to come, The Times’ editorial board writes. Prepare yourselves.

— This isn’t just a fight against a virus. It’s a fight for communities, neighborhoods and people, writes columnist Frank Shyong.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

— Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly denounced the former commanding officer of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt as either “too naive or too stupid” to be at the helm, then apologized after a recording of the speech came out. (San Francisco Chronicle)

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— It’s easy to understand the impulse to stock up on groceries. Less obvious? The pull-up bars, fancy tonic water, artisanal beans and sweatsuits that are selling out. Here’s why you’re panic-buying things you don’t need. (Vox)

ONLY IN L.A.

Award-winning singer-songwriter Randy Newman is hunkering down. Like many, he’s afraid his spouse or children will get COVID-19. He’s been reading, listening to music and binge-watching. As for a typical day at his home in Pacific Palisades: “I collapse into each day. One thing about it is there’s no rush for anything. If I want to take 20 minutes to tie my shoes, I can do it.”

Comments or ideas? Email us at headlines@latimes.com.

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