Coronavirus in California

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...

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...

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? Blam...

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 rea...

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 repor...

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 outbre...

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 p...

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 rac...

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...

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...

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 am...

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. [Advertiseme...

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...

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 way...

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...

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, th...

"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.