Palisades September 25, 2020

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September 25 – October 30, 2020 Volume 14, Issue 40

COVID-19 Could Have Been in LA as Early as December

UCLA study reports significant increase in coughs and acute respiratory failure prior to first official cases of COVID-19

By Sam Catanzaro

A study suggests that COVID-19 may have been in the Los Angeles-area as early as December.

UCLA researchers recently analyzed electronic health records between December 2019 to February 2020 and discovered that there was a greater than 50 percent increase in coughs and acute respiratory failure at UCLA Health hospitals and clinics beginning in late December 2019.

According to the researchers, this suggests COVID-19 may have been circulating in the

area months before the first definitive cases in the U.S. were identified.

According to the analysis the spike represents around a 50 percent increase in such cases when compared with the same period in each of the previous five years.

Researchers behind the study, which appears in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Internet Research, say the findings , could help health authorities more effectively identify and control outbreaks like the current pandemic.

“For many diseases, data from the outpatient setting can provide an early warning to emergency departments and hospital intensive care units of what is to come,” said Dr. Joann Elmore, the study’s lead author and a professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “The majority of COVID-19 studies evaluate hospitalization data, but we also looked at the larger outpatient clinic setting, where

COVID-19, see page 6

Second Palisades Victim Identified in Fatal Plane Crash Los Angeles coroner identifies Jill Young as second victim in September 11 Van Nuys plane crash

By Sam Catanzaro The Los Angeles coroner has identified a second Pacific Palisades victim in a fatal plane crash that occurred earlier this month.

According to the Los Angeles Fire

Department (LAFD), the crash happened on Friday, September 11 at 3:04 p.m. on the 6900 block of Hayvenhurst Avenue, just west of Van Nuys Airport.

As reported by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, the pilot was 62-year-old Jim De Varennes of Pacific Palisades, owner of Palisades Roofing and Construction The second victim was later identified as Jill Young, also of Pacific Palisades.

An eyewitness says the aircraft made a steep climb, stalled, before crashing into the ground. De Varennes and a female passenger–whose identity authorities have

not yet released–were both pronounced dead on the scene.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the plane–a Ryan Navion B–was traveling to Santa Ynez Airport in Santa Barbara County after taking off from Van Nuys Airport when the crash occurred.

The crash resulted in a fire which the LAFD extinguished. According to the LAFD, the crash did not cause any additional injuries or building damage.

The incident is currently under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Photos: Citizen App

The scene of a fatal plane crash in Van Nuys September 11.

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September 25 – October 30, 2020

Ted Lieu Talks Voter Suppression, Homeless Veteran Housing Congressman Lieu answers question in virtual event By toI CrEEL Recently the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club (PPDC) hosted Congressman Ted Lieu in a virtual conversation that touched on topics ranging from Westside homelessness to voter suppression.

The occasion was the PPDC’s Virtual Garden Party on August 23, emceed Paula Poundstone and SNL alumna (and PPDC board member) Gail Matthius. In addition to Lieu, political analyst Bob Shrum also spoke about Joe Biden’s campaign, touching on why even with all the support Biden is getting, November might still be a nail-biter.

“This year we had to go virtual. Instead of our usual 100 or 120, we had 140 in attendance, which was very gratifying — these Zoom gatherings are our best way to get people fired up to help Get Out The Vote in November, both by collecting donations and inspiring people to volunteer, as many did on Sunday,”

the PPDC said in a press release. “Sure, we’re disappointed not to be able to safely gather in person in a beautiful indoor/outdoor setting the way we usually do. But we were thrilled to see so many supporters joining in and stepping up best we all could. People are fired up this year, motivated by an intense desire to change the political direction in Washington, and to build on successes right here in California.”

Lieu answered questions in a Zoom call, starting with the topic of potential voter suppression in the upcoming election.

“There is the actual hacking and infiltration of voting machines and let’s say voting databases,” Lieu said, mentioning how important it was to keep this election safe and pay close attention to attempts of voter suppression and fraud.

He also touched on the importance of social media, noting how Russia was able to influence the past election through internet and social media posts.

“Two things have gotten better since the last election. One is that people trust social media less. People now look at a post and are much more skeptical. The second thing that has happened is if you look at what happened in 2016 the Trump campaign really used social

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media effectively and Democrats in 2018 as run out the clock on some of the cases,” Lieu campaigns learned. We also started to invest said. heavily in digital and social media as we Lieu proposed introducing new legislation flipped [the House],” Lieu said. to help give Congress more power by He told attendees about his expectations inheriting contempt powers and speeding up for the 2020 election and the anticipation that the litigation of Congressional subpoenas. candidates from both “It would sides would be more “Two things have gotten better a u t h o r i z e prepared to use social since the last election. One is that e s s e n t i a l l y media to reach voters the House of and get across their people trust social media less. R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s People now look at a post and to vote to find the message.

“What you’re going are much more skeptical. The witness contempt to see this November is second thing that has happened of up to a maximum instead of just one side is if you look at what happened in of $100,000,” Lieu bombarding voters, said. “That would you’re going to see 2016 the Trump campaign really give us a lot more both sides bombarding used social media effectively and leverage because voters,” Lieu said.

Democrats in 2018 as campaigns let’s say a Trump Lieu also talked learned.” official or a private about ways to keep the witness decides Ted Lieu government more safe, to not show up to citing cyber security a Congressional and the launch of nuclear weapons as major court hearing, they could be on the hook for threats against security. a significant monetary fine and it can’t be paid “I believe we should continue to invest in from an agency account.” that type of technology [cyber security] and The topic of housing homeless veterans at also look at other ways to try and shoot nuclear the West Los Angeles VA was also brought up. missiles, like laser technology,” Lieu said.

The representative also got touched on the Lieu placed part of the blame for the delay in Trump Administration’s neglect of some law waiting for environmental impact reports, but he did mention three new buildings opening and ignoring of subpoenas.

“They’ve been able to litigate all the to help with homelessness at the VA campus. “[Building] 205 and 208 will break ground subpoenas but the good news is we’ve won most of the cases. The bad news is they take time and so the administration has been able to

Ted Lieu, see page 3

September 25 – October 30, 2020

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Body of Man Who Died by Suicide Found in Santa Monica Mountains Rangers located body man who died by suicide Tuesday morning

By Sam Catanzaro Rangers in the Santa Monica Mountains found the body of a man who died by suicide Tuesday.

According to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Ranger Ana Beatriz, a young male in his early 20s was discovered

Sandstone Peak.

Ted Lieu, from page 2 any day,” Lieu said.

Lieu did not say how many occupants each building is supposed to house.

Lieu also touched on homelessness in general in the West LA area and the dire need for more housing as well as the increase of encampments since the global pandemic, saying much of the federal government’s role is limited when it comes to these issues.

“We have perpetually underfunded mental

3

L’Shanah Tova

May the Sound of the Shofar Bring a New Year of Peace, Good Health, and Renewal

deceased in the area of Sandstone Peak Tuesday morning.

“Rangers responded and a suicide note was discovered. County officials are notifying next of kin. We offer our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased,” Beatriz said.

National Park Service rangers closed for a period Tueday the Sandstone Peak/Mishe Mokwa trails.

There was is currently no further information available about the deceased’s identity or cause of death. This article will be updated once more information becomes available.

If you or someone you love is having suicidal thoughts, call: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Photos: Wikimedia Commons

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health. Much of that is at the state level,” Lieu said.

In addition to Lieu’s appearance, the event also featured a silent auction. Notable auction highlights were the 60-second ad spot on the Spike’s Car Radio podcast which ended up going for $3,450 in the final moments; several Simpsons collectibles signed by Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson; both surfing and SAT/college prep lessons with respective PPDC board members; Joe Biden swag; and historical political collectibles.

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September 25 – October 30, 2020

Beloved Santa Monica Canyon Artist Passes Away at 99 Venezuelan born artist surrealit artist Luchita Hurtado passes away By toI CrEEL For some in Santa Monica, the name Luchita Hurtado rings bells, for others it is a mystery. The 99 year old artist recently passed away August 28 in her Santa Monica home.

Hurtado was a Venezuelan born artist who received critical acclaim later in life, though her career stretched across decades.

Her artwork centered around surrealism featuring a variety of drawings, portraits and engravings.

Hurtado lived in Santa Monica canyon just off Mesa Road and had a studio in the city where she would paint at night.

She told publication Art 21 in 2019 at her exhibition, “It takes a great deal of energy, having the life of a parent and having the life of an artist...My real painting, I could do at night after everyone was asleep.”

Hurtado was born in Maiquetía, Venezuela in 1920 though she grew up in New York.

She began painting in 1945, capturing scenes of big cities, but also reflecting various momentments like feminism, Mexcain muralisn and environmentalism.

Though she had painted for more than 70 years and was in a variety of group exhibitions, her work didn’t necessarily rise to moderate fame until 1998, when curators stumbled upon her paintings after looking through her ex-husband’s work.

After a Hurtado-exclusive exhibit was held in the 90s, her works soon gained attention in 2017 being featured on display at the Annenberg Community Beach House.

Her artwork also made an appearance at the Hammer Museum’s “Made in L.A.” exhibition along with several other publications including the La and New York Times.

“I’ve concluded that I’m going somewhere,” she told the New York Times in 2018. “It’s not death; it’s a border that we cross. I don’t think I’ll be able to come back and tell you, but if I can, I’ll find a way. If you suddenly see a pink ceiling, that’s me.”

Photos: 18th Street Art Center (Faceboo)

The late Luchita Hurtado.

Hurtado leaves behind two sons who are also artists though in performance and film:

Matt Mullican and John Mullican along with two grandchildren.

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Worst Housing Bills Fail; Solution via Market Forces Now Possible Serving Area since 1996

OPINION

Locally Owned Business

TOM ELIAS Palisades News Columnist

Evidence keeps mounting that California’s longtime housing shortage can be solved by market forces set loose by the lifestyle and workplace changes created by the coronavirus pandemic.

Now the failure of the worst parts of a sweeping housing package in the state Legislature leaves the path clear for those market forces to work themselves out. Had the most wide-ranging of the bills passed, there could have been far less motivation for developers and local governments to heed the accelerating non-political forces.

Potential housing effects of the viral crisis became noticeable almost immediately after “shelter-at-home” orders first came from county governments in the San Francisco Bay area, quickly followed by similar statewide decrees by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

White collar workers for companies large and small were suddenly ordered to work from home, as companies from Internet giants like Twitter and Facebook to law firms, insurance companies, stock brokerages and many more provided technology for workers to work wherever they like.

Soon, television broadcasters were shown in living rooms and backyards viewers had never before seen.

Vacancy signs proliferated in the densest of business districts from San Francisco to Santa Monica to Fresno, San Diego, Orange County and beyond. Said a stock brokerage vice president in Pasadena, “We spent $2 million over the last two years refurbishing our offices to accommodate more than 100 workers.

Now we get five people a day working there.

We don’t need all that space. Our people are as productive as ever; they’re just not in the office very often.”

Realtors report record levels of vacancies, but a building boom propelled by previous

state demands for more and more mixeduse office and commercial buildings has continued.

As empty space appeared within existing buildings, spurred strictly by non-political events, state lawmakers kept pushing the most ambitious housing construction plan the Legislature ever saw.

Pushed by Democrats like San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins of San Diego and Santa Monica Assemblyman Richard Bloom, this package included SB 902, allowing up to 10 units on any lot zoned for a single home; two other bills allowing developers to build more high-end units on one site if they constructed enough affordable ones on others; a fourth letting city councils overturn without a new popular vote all height-limit laws passed by local voters – and much more.

But the 10-unit bill died in a committee, along with the prospect of developers trolling established low-rise neighborhoods with fat bankrolls to tempt homeowners sitting on large amounts of equity. So did several other major proposals in the package.

If the lawmakers behind these measures paid any heed to what’s going on in their own districts, they might not have proposed these things, despite the strong support they quite predictably got from developers and building trade unions.

For Twitter’s building in Wiener’s district now stands mostly empty. Office towers in Atkins’ San Diego district are nowhere near filled and “for-lease” signs abound in downtown Santa Monica, barely a mile from Bloom’s home.

These empty spaces and many more like them will likely produce more than 1 billion vacant square feet that can be turned into apartments and condominiums in all price ranges with far less work, in far less time and with far fewer lawsuits to fight them than pushing for new construction. Building trades workers will be kept busy doing the electric,

Worst Housing, see page 7

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September 25 – October 30, 2020

How Do You Know if the Wildfires Are Making You Sick?

UCLA pulmonologist on how people can tell if the wildfires are making them sick By toI CrEEL Even if you can’t see smoke, the impact of wildfires burning across the West Coast can still be dangerous.

In an article written by uclahealth.org Dr. Reza Ronaghi, a pulmonologist at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA , gave some insight on how people can tell if the wildfires are making them sick.

Ronaghi says exposure to the smoke can “trigger a runny nose, burning and watery eyes, sore throat and chest pain and shortness of breath.”

These symptoms are particularly harmful to the elderly or people with chronic lung conditions. Heavily polluted air and being exposed to smoke can make those conditions worsen and can cause more severe symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath, hospitalizations and Photos: LA County

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even heart attacks.

What makes the smoke so dangerous is the particles that are released from the fire.

While they are only a micro millimeter in size (around 1/30 if the size of a strand of hair) they can “embed themselves deep into the lung tissue and cause disease.”

The doctor also emphasized the importance of the public in listening to authorities, especially when notices are made telling people that the air quality is unhealthy.

If you must travel outside, Ronaghi recommends an N95-quality mask to prevent exposure to these smokes. But, he’s reminding residents that the mask is only effective when fitted and sealed against the face.

Even when you are indoors, doctors’ say avoid vacuuming which stirs up smoke particles. Also keep windows and doors closed. For smokers, researchers say they should avoid the habit if possible.

COVID-19, from page 1

and of patients hospitalized with acute respiratory failure during this time period.

The researchers noted that other factors could be responsible for some of this unexpected increase, including the possibility that respiratory illnesses could have been due to vaping, but authors noted this explanation is “doubtful” because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a continued decline in vaping after September 2019. In addition, researchers say that could not rule out that the excess cases were due to flu.

“We may never truly know if these excess patients represented early and undetected COVID-19 cases in our area,” Elmore said.

“But the lessons learned from this pandemic, paired with health care analytics that enable real-time surveillance of disease and symptoms, can potentially help us identify and track emerging outbreaks and future epidemics.”

most patients turn first for medical care when illness and symptoms arise.”

The researchers evaluated more than 10 million records for UCLA Health outpatient, emergency department and hospital facilities, comparing data from the period between Dec. 1, 2019, and Feb. 29, 2020 with data from the same period over the previous five years.

The study found that outpatient clinic visits by UCLA patients seeking care for coughs increased by over 50 percent and exceeded the average number of visits for the same complaint over the prior five years by more than 1,000.

In addition, the study found a significant excess in the number of patients seen in emergency departments for reports of coughs

September 25 – October 30, 2020

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Television Stolen, Vandalism Arrest: Palisades Crime Update Submitted by LAPD Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore Among recent Pacific Palisades crimes include a home burglary resulting in a stolen television and a vandalism arrest after a suspect damaged a local business.

Burglary 1300 Luna Vista Dr, btwn 9/6/20 at 9 AM and 9/11/20 at 7 PM. The suspect broke a door handle to enter victim’s property and took a vintage comic book.

16100 Alcima, 9/13/20 at 2:33 AM. The suspect smashed a glass door to enter home and took a television.

Burglary/Theft from Vehicle 1400 Longworth, btwn 9/6/20 at 4 PM and 9/7/20 at 12 PM. The suspect entered victim’s vehicle and took tools.

Sunset/Temescal Canyon, 9/7/20 btwn 7:45 AM and 10 AM. The suspect smashed a window to enter victim’s vehicle and took money, a purse, and credit cards.

1100 Embury St, 9/6/20 btwn 5:17 AM and 5:35 AM. The suspects pried open a door to enter and ransack victim’s vehicle.

200 Mabery, btwn 9/16/20 at 5 PM and

9/17/20 at 8 AM. The suspect entered victim’s vehicle and took a driver license.

Theft 500 Palisades Dr, 9/4/20 at 9:30 PM. The suspect (female, brown hair brown eyes, 5’7” 115 LB, 40/50 years) took a package from victim’s apartment complex mail area.

1000 Las Pulgas Rd, btwn 9/5/20 at 3:40 PM and 9/6/20 at 12:30 PM. The suspect took victim’s mailbox.

900 Fiske St, btwn 9/10/20 at 6:30 PM and 9/11/20 at 3:20 AM. The suspect (male white, 5’11” 180 lb, 30/40 years) took packages from victim’s front porch.

17200 Pacific Coast Hwy, 9/13/20 at 11:15 PM. The suspect (identified) took and and ate food from victim’s business without paying.

Vandalism 15100 Sunset, 9/20/20 at 7 AM. A 54 year old male was arrested for vandalism after damaging the double doors to victim’s business.

17000 Pacific Coast Hwy, 9/6/20 at 4:45 PM. A 29 year old male was arrested for threatening to kill victim.

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If legislators are really interested in solving the housing problem, and not merely in self-

aggrandizement or feathering the nests of their campaign donors, they will leave well enough alone, allowing the market forces to play out over the next two to three years. That way, California will see the millions of new housing units it needs far faster than it could have under any of the failed new laws.

Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com.

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September 25 – October 30, 2020

S ANT A MONI CA COL L EG E

Exciting events happening this fall!

Santa Monica College is offering a variety of events online. Most events are free. Come join us for: • Dance Performances & Master Classes • Theatre Arts Performances • Music Concerts • Business & Entrepreneurship Series • Santa Monica Review Issue Launch Party

• Planetarium Shows • Sustainability Week • Art Exhibition Receptions • Green Screen Series • and much more!

Visit smc.edu/calendar for more information.

SANTA MONICA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES Dr. Nancy Greenstein, Chair; Dr. Susan Aminoff, Vice Chair; Dr. Louise Jaffe; Dr. Margaret Quiñones-Perez; Rob Rader; Dr. Sion Roy; Barry A. Snell; Joshua Elizondo, Student Trustee; Kathryn E. Jeffery, Ph.D., Superintendent/President Santa Monica College | 1900 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405 | smc.edu