Coronavirus in California

Please enjoy the first episode of the latest from L.A. Times Studios, Rebuilding L.A. L.A. Times reporter Liam Dillon joins us to talk about where we are in the moment as residents assess the path forward. How are people grappling with the decision to rebuild and, ultimately, what factors are playing into those plans? Also, Altadena resident and lawyer Kelsey Szamet shares her very personal story about her efforts to get back home to the town where she was born and raised, and now lives with her own family.

When we started making this podcast two months ago, we didn’t know how the pandemic would play out. Forty episodes later, we still don’t know how it will. There’s been good news and bad news, and news no one could have expected. The only constant has been uncertainty. Nevertheless, there is hope that we’ll eventually get to a better place. Our guest is Soumya Karlamangla, who covers healthcare in California for the Los Angeles Times. Karlamangla was the guest on our first episode, and will be the guest on the last episode of Coronavirus for California, our first daily podcast, and our first major foray into news podcasting. We intend to be back soon with more podcasts in this vein. Stay tuned! More reading: Officials fear protests are ‘super-spreader’ events for coronavirus. Marchers say worth the risk. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Coronavirus Boom Busts California, For Now. After years of budget surpluses, California is now looking into a financial abyss due to the coronavirus. The legislature must pass a budget by June 15, as required by the state’s constitution. And it’s looking to be one that will see billions of dollars in cutbacks to programs and institutions that help millions of Californians. Our guest is State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. More reading: California’s coronavirus budget crisis leaves Newsom and lawmakers at odds. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

This weekend, thousands of churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of faith across California will reopen after being closed for two months because of the coronavirus. Gov. Gavin Newsom's decision to close houses of worship was controversial. The state faces lawsuits alleging a violation of the 1st Amendment. The U.S. Department of Justice even sent the governor a warning letter. Our guest is Brenda Wood, lead pastor of the Word of Life Ministries International in Riverside. More reading: California’s battle over reopening churches isn’t over despite new coronavirus rules. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

As California slowly reopens, people are hitting the beaches, going to church, maybe meeting up with family members. But one thing Californians look forward to all year is still off the table: the big community festivals, fairs, concerts and art bazaars. Many of them won't take place until next year. Our guests are Sara Diederich and Melissa Kohout, the founders of the Jackalope Arts festival, which has been holding events in Pasadena, Burbank and Denver since 2015. More reading: Greek Theatre cancels season for first time in 90 years due to coronavirus. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

The pandemic has frozen professional and collegiate sports across the world, with Major League Baseball planning to return this summer. But with new thoughts on high-fives, tags at home plate and spitting out all those sunflower seeds, the baseball diamond isn’t going to look the same. Our guest is Eric Valenzuela, the head coach for Long Beach State’s baseball team, the Dirtbags. More reading: How MLB proposes to protect players from the coronavirus. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Throughout history, pandemics have wrought hell not just on families and economies but on specific social groups. And at times like these, politicians and members of the general public sometimes cast minorities as scapegoats. For the coronavirus in the United States, unfortunately, this racist hammer is falling hard on Asian Americans. Our guests are Jen Yamato and Frank Shyong, the hosts of our Asian Enough podcast at the Los Angeles Times. More Listening: Asian Enough. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

At this point, tens of thousands of people in the U.S. have lost their lives to COVID-19. To try to memorialize the victims in Southern California as the individual lives that they were, the Los Angeles Times has created a project called “The Pandemic's Toll: Lives Lost in Southern California.” These are remembrances not of celebrities or politicians, but of your neighbors, your family members, your friends. Our guest is Times metro reporter Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, one of the writers for the project. More reading: The Pandemic’s Toll: Lives Lost in Southern California. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

The island of Catalina is the keeper of many myths and histories in Southern California. This time of year, it should be bustling with visitors. But due to the coronavirus, it's not. And the museum, like its peers across the Southland, has been closed down altogether. Our guest is Julie Lee Perlin, the executive director of the Catalina Island Museum. More reading: On Catalina Island, concern yet calm as coronavirus threatens tourism economy.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

What will history say about this crazy period of the coronavirus? That depends on how our lives, our thoughts and our experiences are being documented right now. Archives, like the ones at the Huntington Library and the Center for Oral and Public History at Cal State Fullerton, tell us a lot about what transpired in the past. Not just what our leaders did, or what made the papers, but also about the day-to-day lives of regular folks. Our guest is Liz Ramirez, a librarian and archivist for Los Angeles Communities and Cultures at the UCLA Library Special Collections. More reading: How a vital record of Mexican indigenous life was created under quarantine. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

In a city like Los Angeles, where renters make up about 62 percent of the population, you don’t hear much sympathy for landlords. But not all landlords are alike. Some own dozens or even hundreds of properties. Others are mom-and-pop landlords, who may own one or two properties, and keep afloat with the rent provided by their tenants. Our guest is Darryl Marshak, who owns a small complex in Mid City. More reading: Homeowners who can’t make mortgage payments get a new deferral option.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Orange County has received a lot of national attention regarding the coronavirus, and none of it positive. Cities have sued California Gov. Gavin Newsom for shutting down beaches. Protesters by the thousands have gathered, against local rules, with no attempt to socially distance. Businesses have opened, daring authorities to swoop in and stop them. Meanwhile, COVID 19 cases continue to climb. Our guest is Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett. More reading: Newsom eases California reopening rules, allowing more counties to restart their economies.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Hollywood, the center of the universe when it comes to producing entertainment, is unrecognizable right now. Live shoots have been placed on hold indefinitely. Studios are running out of shows in the can to air. Moviegoing is essentially impossible across California, unless your city has a drive-in. With the typical gatekeepers in hibernation, creatives are learning how to make things on their own. Our guest is writer, actor, producer and podcaster Al Madrigal. More reading: What will a post-pandemic Hollywood look like?[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

California's rural areas often feel isolated from what happens in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento. Up in the northern reaches of the state, in places like Crescent City and Alturas, the population is majority white, overwhelmingly Republican, and it’s hardly been touched by the coronavirus. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s response to the coronavirus has furthered their feelings of alienation. Our guest is Hailey Branson-Potts, who covers rural California for the L.A. Times. More reading: In rural California, children face isolation, hunger amid coronavirus school closures.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

There are wild allegations about how the coronavirus started, shadowy claims about its spread, and apocalyptic pronouncements about an end goal with COVID-19. The Internet Age in particular has allowed many conspiracy theories to spread, and fast. Kind of like an epidemic. Our guest is Kathryn Olmsted, a history professor at UC Davis who studies conspiracy theories. More reading: Facebook and YouTube scramble to remove 'Plandemic' video.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

City Lights marks the spot where Allen Ginsberg read his masterpiece, “Howl.” It’s an iconic independent bookstore that still today manages to keep the bohemian vibe of San Francisco alive. But in the two months it’s been closed due to the coronavirus, City Lights has been hit hard. Our guest is CWO Elaine Katzenberger. More reading: Newsom unveils rules governing how quickly California communities can reopen businesses. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

California's emergency rooms have been largely spared the war zone scenes we've seen in places such as Italy and New York. But ERs across Southern California are still adapting to treat the influx of COVID-19 patients, and they are preparing for a possible second wave of the coronavirus. Our guests are Zahir Basri, an emergency medicine doctor in Los Angeles who sits on the board of directors for the California chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, and Rob Jones, an emergency room nurse at one of Kaiser Permanente’s hospitals in San Diego. More reading: ‘Where are the strokes and the heart attacks?’ Doctors worry as patients avoid ERs.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

In the middle of March, South Korea and the United States each had 90 deaths linked to COVID-19. Now, more than 70,000 Americans have died from the disease, while the total in South Korea hasn’t topped 300. How did the country do it? Our guest is Victoria Kim, a foreign correspondent for the L.A. Times who is based in Seoul. More reading: Missing Major League Baseball? Here’s Korean baseball to the rescue.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

The American newspaper industry has suffered for decades, partially due to the loss of advertising brought on by the internet age. With the coronavirus crisis, many newsrooms have had to call a code blue. Papers have had to furlough staff and some have even shut down in the last month. For alternative weeklies, the situation is particularly dire. Our guest is Jimmy Boegle, owner and editor of the Coachella Valley Independent. More reading: Coronavirus pandemic crushes rural California newspapers.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

The coronavirus has laid bare fundamental problems with our society, and activists are seizing on this moment of collective social consciousness. They're rethinking what organizing, protest and social change look like in a locked-down world. Our guest is Patrisse Cullors, a leader of the movement to reform L.A. jails and co-founder of Black Lives Matter.More reading: Coronavirus energizes the labor movement. Can it last?[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Pandemics leave a trace on culture, whether it's architecture, public space, poetry or painting. Our guest is L.A. Times culture writer Carolina Miranda, who has been documenting how artists are reacting to this moment and unearthing the remnants of past pandemics in our cultural life. More reading: Rafael Cardenas set out to capture L.A. in a photo a day. He ended up recording a pandemic.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Laughter’s in short supply these days. Thankfully there’s a new show to stream online called “Funny You Should Mask,” in which comedic actors like Ken Jeong, Nicole Byer and Kumail Nanjiani interview doctors and nurses about the coronavirus. Our guest is the host of the show, Rob Corddry, whom you might know from “The Daily Show,” “Hot Tub Time Machine,” and “Ballers.” More reading: The coronavirus pandemic is terrifying — it’s OK to laugh.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

All signs point to a difficult economic period coming our way. The financial crisis is going to hit not only businesses small and large, but also government. Typically, California spends over $200 billion a year on services such as road repairs, prisons, unemployment benefits and construction of affordable housing. Our guest is state Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), who chairs the Senate Budget Committee. More reading: Coronavirus crisis could trigger huge California deficits, lawmakers are told. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Whether it’s an earthquake, a fire or a riot, disaster has long been part of the ecology of Southern California. Our guest is Mike Davis, who for decades has been delivering apocalyptic warnings about pandemics and other catastrophic events in his books “The Monster at Our Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu,” "City of Quartz" and "Ecology of Fear.” More reading: Revisiting Mike Davis’ case for letting Malibu burn.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

California grows more than a third of the country's vegetables and two thirds of its fruit and nuts. That means farmhands are essential workers. Without them, we don't have food. But many farmworkers lack the resources that other essential workers in our economy have, like access to the internet and healthcare. Our guest is Carissa Purnell, director of the Alisal Family Resource Center in Salinas. More reading: Coronavirus pandemic brings new levels of misery to Coachella Valley farmworkers.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

How are you feeling? In the middle of a pandemic, that question goes beyond fevers and coughs. Mental health is too often neglected, even in the best of times. Now that anxiety, panic and depression are rampant, the question is even more crucial. Our guest is Dr. Jonathan Sherin, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. More reading: Isolation and boredom of staying at home can be harmful in their own way, experts say.[Advertisement] This LA Times podcast is brought to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

You hear them performing at parties, funerals, restaurants, and on film and TV. Mariachis are part of the soundtrack of Southern California, their bright horns and beautiful "charro" and "charra" outfits and lusty gritos as much a part of our identity as G-Funk and surf rock. But, for now, mariachis are largely silent. Their livelihoods depend on live events, and the coronavirus restrictions have shut them all down. Our guest is Carlos Samaniego, the musical director for Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles, possibly the world’s first LGBTQ mariachi group.More reading: How the coronavirus muted L.A. mariachi music.[Advertisement] This LA Times podcast is brought to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Some of the first images that showed how much coronavirus would change our daily lives weren’t of victims or hospitals, but of grocery stores. Whether you shop at Trader Joe’s or Northgate, your corner mercadito or Costco, long lines and empty shelves quickly became the norm. Our guest is Pam Hill, a checker at an Albertsons store in South L.A.More reading: Why are eggs getting so expensive? Blame coronavirus demand.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

The Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County is one of the largest ICE detention centers in the country. It’s also cramped and crowded, according to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU, a "tinderbox scenario" when it comes to a potential coronavirus outbreak. Our guest is Sergio Jonathan Moreno, who was just released from Adelanto because he was at high risk for catching the virus.More reading: ACLU sues for ‘drastic reduction’ of immigrant detainees along California border due to coronavirus.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

The coronavirus has affected California’s coast in profound ways. Fishermen have fewer places to sell their catches because of restaurant shutdowns. Surfers are getting ticketed for trying to catch a wave. The public aches to hit up the iconic beaches across the Golden State. Meanwhile, scientists are studying whether it’s safe to be near the beach at all. Our guest is L.A. Times environment reporter Rosanna Xia.More reading: A beach coronavirus warning meets a tidal wave of controversy, and the test of science.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

The coronavirus outbreak has hit long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities hard. In the U.S., thousands of deaths have been traced back to senior homes. Our guest is Donna Barnett, whose father lives at Drake Terrace, an assisted living facility in San Rafael, where the coronavirus has spread.More reading: California names nursing homes with coronavirus outbreaks.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

There are roughly 200,000 people living in prisons and jails across California. But lockups are considered powder kegs for infectious diseases such as the novel coronavirus. Our guest is Rosemary Dyer, who was just released from the California Institution for Women in Corona, in the state’s attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19.More reading: Judge rejects more inmate releases from California prisons.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Racial and social inequities are becoming a theme of this pandemic. Early data from around the country indicate that black, Latino, and elderly people appear to be dying at higher rates from COVID 19. Anecdotal evidence suggests the disparities are quite stark. Our guest is Los Angeles District 8 Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who represents South L.A.More reading: L.A. releases first racial breakdown of coronavirus fatalities; blacks have higher death rate.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Nothing represents the chugging economy of Orange County like Disneyland. The park has closed only three times in its 65-year history: the day after JFK was shot, the day of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, and 9/11. Today, the resort is a ghost town. Our guest is Glynndana Shevlin, a Disney concierge who will be furloughed in a few days.More reading: Disney to furlough employees amid coronavirus crisis.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

The novel coronavirus has entered our newsroom at the L.A. Times. Our guest is Julia Wick, the author of our Essential California newsletter, which is a morning cheat sheet on the biggest stories in the Golden State. Julia is young, in good health, and was beyond careful once the coronavirus began to dominate headlines. Still, she was stricken.More reading: I have the coronavirus and hope you’ll act like you have it too. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for the closure of public schools through the end of the academic year. Nevertheless, instruction continues through distance learning as teachers try to keep up their lesson plans. Our guest is Joseph Aquino, who teaches world history and human geography at a San Bernardino County middle school.More reading: One teacher’s quest to track down her students amid coronavirus school closure.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Homeless at high risk. Homeless shelters are potential coronavirus hot spots. Yet they’re busier than ever. Union Rescue Mission on L.A.'s skid row continues to serve free hot meals and is taking people in with nowhere else to go. Our guest is the Rev. Andy Bales, chief executive of Union Rescue Mission. More reading: 70 test positive for coronavirus at San Francisco homeless shelter.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

In California, no one can dine in restaurants, per Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home orders. Some businesses are trying take-out, but running a restaurant — hard enough in the best of times — is effectively impossible now. Still, chefs and cooks are doing everything in their power to stay afloat. Our guest is Minh Phan, owner of Porridge + Puffs in L.A.’s Historic Filipinotown.More reading: These restaurants are offering takeout and delivery during the coronavirus pandemic.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Los Angeles has one of the highest populations of renters in the U.S. Because of the coronavirus, many of them don’t know how they’ll come up with the money to pay their rents in full. Our guest is Trinidad Ruiz, an organizer for the Los Angeles Tenants Union, which is calling for rent forgiveness during the pandemic.More reading: L.A. has a coronavirus eviction ban, but landlords are finding ways to demand rent.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Mourning the death of a loved one is never easy. But for such intimate pain to be part of the biggest crisis of our lifetime — it’s a tragedy. Our guest is Sonia Velez, a Bell resident who lost her uncle to COVID-19 last month.More reading: With emergency rooms and ICUs filling rapidly, those inside California’s hospitals are tense, tired and determined to endure.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Two months after California’s first confirmed case of COVID-19, the state is preparing to confront what public health officials agree will be a peak in illnesses and deaths. Our guest is Soumya Karlamangla, who covers healthcare in California for the Los Angeles Times.More reading: As states scramble to secure ventilators during the crisis, a potential shortage looms of respiratory therapists, the workers trained to operate them.[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

"Coronavirus in California: Stories from the Front Lines" is a new podcast from the Los Angeles Times hosted by reporter Gustavo Arellano. Every weekday, the podcast will give listeners dispatches from Californians who are in the thick of this pandemic. The first episode of "Coronavirus in California" premieres Wednesday April 8, everywhere podcasts are available.