Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, September 12, 2020

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 12, 2020 

09/11/2020 3:30pm 

(Compared to 9/04/2020)

LOS ANGELE COUNTY* 09/11/20 09/04/20 

 Total Cases 252,066 246,407 

 Deaths 6,171 5977 

STATS BY CITY Population Cases Deaths 

 (last week's stats in parenthesis)

 09/04/20

Pasadena 14,1371 2455 (2411) 117 (117)

Uninc- East Pasadena 6,403 76 (74) 1 (1)

 

City of Arcadia 57,754 458 (450) 32 (31)

Uninc. - Arcadia 7.981 85 ( 83) 3 (3)

City of Bradbury 1,069 14 (14) 0 (0)

City of Duarte 22,016 519 (511) 28 (25)

Uninc.- Duarte 4,428 133 (130) 4 (4)

City of Monrovia 38,800 712 (700) 37 (37

Uninc - Monrovia 3,881 78 (78) 0 (0)

 

City of Sierra Madre 10,989 68 (68) 3 (3)

City of So.Pasadena 26,053 260 (256) 27 (26)

Uninc.- Altadena 43,260 661 644 (661) 13 (13)

La County Testing as of 09/11/20: 2,405,239 (2,331,616)

Positivity Rate (No. of persons positive out of total persons tested) as 09/11/20: 10.2%

Nationally recommended Positivity Level: 5%

 For updated information go to: http://dashboard.publichealth.lacounty.gov/covid19_
surveillance_dashboard/ 

PUBLIC HEALTH RECOMMENDS TESTING FOR INDIVIDUALS 
POSSIBLY EXPOSED TO COVID-19 AND CLOSELY MONITORS 
DATA AFTER LABOR DAY WEEKEND - 

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 61 
new deaths and 671 new cases of confirmed COVID-19. The high number of new deaths 
are from a backlog of reports received from over the weekend, and the low number of 
new cases reflect reduced testing due to the excessive heat.

Public Health is carefully monitoring data over the next couple of weeks to see the impact 
of the holiday weekend on the transmission of the virus across County communities and 
recommends testing for individuals possibly exposed to COVID-19.

If you were potentially exposed to COVID-19 over the holiday weekend, you are encouraged 
to get tested. For example, if you were in a crowded area this weekend and people 
were not wearing cloth face coverings, you should get tested. If you were around someone 
who was feeling sick, you should get tested. And if you were with someone who has tested 
positive for the virus, even if they never felt sick, you should get tested. Testing sites are 
open and appointments are available.

Just over two weeks after Independence Day, the County experienced increases in cases, 
hospitalizations and deaths. For example, the 7-day average of daily reported COVID-19 
cases around July 4 was about 2,200 cases per day, but two weeks later the number of new 
cases increased to over 3,100.

In July, the County saw the steepest increases in hospitalizations, where the average was 
over 2100 hospitalizations per day; the most significant peaks were two to three weeks 
after the July 4 holiday. This past month however, daily hospitalizations have dropped 
back to an average of under 1000 hospitalizations a day, similar to the numbers in early 
April. Currently, there are 936 people who are confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 
33% of these people are in the ICU.

The 7-day average of daily deaths before July 4 was around 30 deaths per day, and tragically, 
22 days after the July 4 holiday, the number of deaths climbed up to 44 deaths per 
day.

To date, Public Health has identified 249,859 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas 
of L.A. County, and a total of 6,090 deaths. Testing results are available for nearly 
2,393,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

"Our hearts go out to everyone who has lost a friend or a loved one to COVID-19. We wish 
you healing and peace," said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. 
"We have made tremendous progress as a County since mid-July in bringing down our 
community transmission rates and preventing a catastrophic level of demand on our 
health care system. We have been successful, in large part, because people have been 
following what we know are the best public health practices we have. We have avoided 
gatherings and moved many services outdoors. Unfortunately, what we’ve learned from 
the past several months is that we cannot return to normal at this time; we need to maintain 
our vigilance so that we can continue to suppress the spread of the virus and get to a 
place when we can safely reopen additional sectors, especially schools."

Last week the County announced a plan to allow for reopening K-12 schools for in-
person special services for high need students. This includes students with individualized 
education plans and English-language learners, as well as other students who may need 
assessments and support that cannot be provided through virtual learning. In order to 
reopen for special services, Public Health ask schools to send a notification form to the 
department. The form is available on our website as a fillable PDF and asks for basic 
information – the name of the school, the anticipated number of students and staff expected 
by grade, and a point of contact at the school. The form also requires the school 
to attest to having adequate PPE in compliance with County and State guidance, a plan 
or protocol in place for testing and outbreak management, and that they will adhere to 
the school protocols.

As fall and winter approaches, Public Health asks everyone to begin to think ahead about 
how you will navigate the fall and winter carefully. This includes the upcoming Halloween 
holiday. For this year, it is simply not safe to celebrate in the usual ways. Gatherings, 
events, parties, carnivals, festivals, haunted house attractions, are already prohibited under 
the Health Officer Order. Public Health recommends trick or treating not happen this 
year and offers other ways to celebrate that are safe for children and families, including 
hosting an online party and decorating homes and yards. There are also some Halloween-
related activities that are safer, including car parades and drive-in movie nights. Detailed 
guidance can be found online at: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Data continues to show African American/Black, Latino/Latinx, Native Hawaiian and 
Pacific Islander residents and those in low-income communities continue to have disproportionate 
health outcomes. Although these numbers for highly-impacted groups 
are decreasing, as is the case overall in LA County, Latino/Latinx residents are three 
times as likely to die from COVID-19 and African American/Black residents 
are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 when compared to White residents. 
Communities with high levels of poverty are four times as likely to die of COVID-
19 when compared to residents with the highest income. Native Hawaiian 
and Pacific Islanders have a rate of hospitalization that is almost five times that 
of White residents. Racism and inequitable access to resources have played a significant 
role in the pandemic, as it does in other areas of health. This is why a 
wide range of actions is needed to address the inequities we continue to witness. 
These include ensuring protections for workers, especially low-wage workers, offering 
services and support to those needing to isolate and quarantine, making 
sure testing is widely-available in under-resourced areas, partnering with trusted 
community organizations for advocacy and information sharing, and addressing 
discrimination and racism that limits opportunities and resources available for 
optimal health and well-being.

The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Data Dashboard, Recovery Metrics, Recovery 
Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your 
family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.
lacounty.gov

SOUTH COAST AQMD CONTINUES 
SMOKE ADVISORY DUE TO BOBCAT FIRE 
AND EL DORADO FIRE

Valid: Friday, September 11, 2020 through Saturday, September 12, 2020

This advisory is in effect through Saturday afternoon. South Coast AQMD will issue an update if additional 
information becomes available.

Two major local wildfires as well as wildfires in Northern and Central California are affecting air quality in the 
region. A wildfire named the Bobcat Fire is burning north of Azusa and Monrovia in the Angeles National Forest. 
As of 6:00 a.m. on Friday, the burn area was approximately 26,368 acres with 6% containment. Current 
information on the Bobcat Fire can be found on the Incident Information System (InciWeb) at https://inciweb.
nwcg.gov/incident/7152.

A wildfire named the El Dorado Fire is burning in the San Bernardino Mountains near Yucaipa in San Bernardino 
County. As of 8:00 a.m. on Friday, the burn area was reported at 13,715 acres with 31% containment. 
Current information on the El Dorado Fire can be found on the Incident Information System at: https://inciweb.
nwcg.gov/incident/7148/.

Smoke from fires in Northern and Central California is also being transported south and may impact the South 
Coast Air Basin and Coachella Valley.

Past and Current Smoke and Ash Impacts

The Bobcat Fire is producing substantial amounts of smoke on Friday morning based on satellite and webcam 
imagery. The El Dorado Fire is also still producing smoke that is visible on satellite and webcam imagery. Falling 
ash has been reported downwind of the Bobcat Fire throughout the South Coast Air Basin. Smoke from fires in 
Northern and Central California is still present in upper levels of the atmosphere this morning.

South Coast AQMD’s temporary monitors deployed in Azusa near the Bobcat fire and Redlands near the El 
Dorado Fire, as well as South Coast AQMD’s monitor in Glendora have measured hourly values in the Unhealthy 
to Hazardous AQI categories since yesterday evening. The fire is also producing ash particles that are 
small enough to be detected by South Coast AQMD’s PM10 monitors in addition to the smoke detected by the 
PM2.5 monitors. South Coast AQMD’s monitors at Central Los Angeles and Upland have measured hourly 
values in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups to Unhealthy AQI categories, while Banning, Mira Loma, the 60 
Near-Road monitors were in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups AQI category. Low-cost sensors in East Los 
Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley, the Santa Monica Mountains, and portions of the Inland Empire have been in 
the Unhealthy to Hazardous AQI categories. All other portions of the South Coast Air Basin and Coachella Valley 
have been in the Good to Moderate AQI categories. Visit https://www.aqmd.gov/aqdata to view current air 
quality conditions.

In any area impacted by smoke: If you smell smoke or see ash due to a wildfire, limit your exposure by remaining 
indoors with windows and doors closed or seeking alternate shelter, and avoiding vigorous physical activity. 
For more tips on protecting yourself during a wildfire, see South Coast AQMD’s Wildfire Smoke & Ash Health & 
Safety Tips page: http://www.aqmd.gov/wildfire-health-info-smoke-tips.

Forecasted Smoke and Ash Impacts

Most of the South Coast AQMD jurisdiction will experience smoke impacts with the highest AQI values occurring 
in direct proximity to the Bobcat and El Dorado Fires. Smoke transported from fires in Central and 
Northern California may also contribute to widespread elevated particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) concentrations. 
Smoke and ash impacts will be highly variable in both timing and location through Saturday.

Friday afternoon through Friday evening: Smoke from the Bobcat and El Dorado fires will impact areas along 
the Los Angeles and Orange Counties in the early afternoon before moving to the east and northeast into Riverside 
and San Bernardino Counties during the late afternoon through the evening. Smoke will persist in the San 
Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County throughout this period.

 

Overnight Friday through Saturday morning: Areas south of the Bobcat fire along the I-10 corridor from Pasadena 
to Rancho Cucamonga will likely see the highest particulate matter levels as smoke is likely to remain closer 
to the ground overnight. Smoke impacts from the El Dorado Fire are predicted for western Riverside County and 
the Coachella Valley, with the highest particulate matter levels likely between Redlands and Banning. Coastal 
areas could see moderate smoke impacts on Saturday morning.

 

Saturday afternoon: Onshore winds will start around noon and move smoke to the north and northeast into 
the mountains of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties and out of the South Coast Air Basin. 
Moderate smoke impacts will persist throughout the rest of the South Coast Air Basin and Coachella Valley due 
to smoke from the Northern and Central California fires.

Overall, meteorological conditions will bring smoke and ash into portions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, 
and San Bernardino Counties. Unhealthy or higher AQI levels due to PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations are possible 
in areas of direct smoke impacts. Impacts will be highly variable throughout the day, impacting different 
parts of the region at different times.

Areas of direct impacts and poor air quality may include portions of:

Los Angeles County: Central Los Angeles (Area 1), Northwest Coastal LA County (Area 2), Southwest Coastal 
LA County (Area 3), South Coastal LA (Area 4), Southeast LA County (Area 5), West San Fernando Valley 
(Area 6), East San Fernando Valley (Area 7), West San Gabriel Valley (Area 8), East San Gabriel Valley (Area 
9), Pomona-Walnut Valley (Area 10), South San Gabriel Valley (Area 11), South Central Los Angeles County 
(Area 12), Santa Clarita Valley (Area 13), San Gabriel Mountains (Area 15)

LOS ANGELES COUNTY 

COVID-19 UPDATE 9/11/2020

SOCALGAS INCREASING REBATES BY 50% ON ENERGY 
EFFICIENT APPLIANCES AND SMART THERMOSTATS NOW 
THROUGH DECEMBER 31

 Customers who purchase qualifying energy efficient products will get 50% extra cash back 
in rebates on dryers, smart thermostats, furnaces, water heaters, pool heaters, insulation 
and more.

LOS ANGELES – September 10, 2020 – Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced the company 
is increasing rebates by an additional 50% on all energy efficient appliances offered through its rebate program now 
through December 31, 2020. This means customers can get an additional 50% cash back on energy efficient products 
that will help them conserve energy and reduce their SoCalGas bill. The rebates are funded through energy 
efficiency incentive programs created by the California Public Utilities Commission.

“SoCalGas is offering bigger rebates for customers buying energy efficient appliances and other rebate-qualified 
products—and with many people facing financial hardship during the pandemic, it couldn’t come at a better time,” 
said Brian Prusnek, SoCalGas director of customer programs and assistance. “We also know that many consumers 
are looking to replace a dryer, a furnace or water heater, or simply want to save money with a new energy saving appliance, 
and SoCalGas is delivering on our commitment to our customers by helping them further improve energy 
efficiency and reduce their natural gas bills.”

SoCalGas offers rebates on hundreds of home appliances and products that help conserve energy and reduce 
costs. Customers can apply for rebates quickly and easily from a mobile device by visiting socalgas.com/rebates. 
On the website, customers will find rebates of up to $600 on select water heaters and furnaces, up to $500 on select 
fireplaces and $50 on select smart thermostats and Energy Star natural gas dryers.

An energy efficient appliance, over its lifetime, will save customers thousands of dollars in energy bills. A tankless 
water heater can save about $1,500, an efficient traditional water heater about $200. An energy efficient furnace 
will save a customer about $550 over its lifetime and a smart thermostat, which can learn a customer's schedule 
and temperature preferences to adjust the temperature in the home accordingly, can save $125 over its lifetime.

Using less energy is also good for the environment. Between 2015 and 2019, SoCalGas energy efficiency programs 
helped customers avoid using enough natural gas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by over 1,100,000 
metric tons, the equivalent of removing nearly 238,000 cars from the road annually. These advances have also 
helped save SoCalGas customers over $229 million in natural gas bill costs. In 2019 alone, SoCalGas’ energy efficiency 
programs saved customers $55.6 million.

In addition to rebates, SoCalGas offers a wide range of other programs and services to save money and conserve 
household energy use. To learn more about these programs and services, or for more information on how to more 
efficiently manage natural gas usage and possibly reduce monthly natural gas bills, please visit SoCalGas' website 
at socalgas.com or call (800) 427-2200.

SoCalGas COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Since March, SoCalGas has donated more than $2.74 million to nonprofit organizations for COVID-19 recovery 
efforts, including supporting the region's workforce, feeding the hungry, providing bill assistance to customers, 
and more.

For more information on SoCalGas's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit www.socalgas.com/
coronavirus.

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com