Los Angeles Times - 25.08.2019

B4 SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2019 S LATIMES.COM

CITY & STATE

A K-9 with the Long
Beach Police Department
died after being left in
his handler’s department-
issued vehicle, authorities
said Friday.
The police dog, named
Ozzy, and the officer were
off-duty when the dog was
found dead earlier this
month. The officer, whom
the Police Department is
not identifying, reported the
dog’s death and an investi-
gation is underway.
Ozzy’s handler found the
6-year-old dog dead in the
vehicle about 3:40 p.m. Aug.
14.
“A veterinarian examina-
tion of Ozzy and the prelimi-
nary results determined the
cause of death to be heat-re-
lated,” Long Beach police
public information officer
Arantxa Chavarria said in a
statement. “Our K-9 vehi-
cles are outfitted with fail-
safe equipment that is
meant to generate an alert.
At this time, we believe this
alert may not have been
working.”
Chavarria said the equip-
ment includes a heat-con-
troller system that uses a
cellphone app to signal
when the vehicle is getting
too warm. Another mecha-
nism provides a “manual
button that only shuts down
the system when activated
by the handler,” she said.
Chavarria did not say
whether it was standard
practice for a K-9 to be left
alone in this type of vehicle.
Since Ozzy’s death, all K-9
handlers have been check-
ing their vehicle’s heat sys-
tem controllers before every

shift, she said.

Midafternoon tempera-

tures in Long Beach on the

day the dog died were be-

tween 81 and 84 degrees,

according to a weather ar-

chive.

It was not immediately

clear whether the dog was in

Long Beach at the time of

death or how long he had

been left unattended.

It takes only 15 minutes

for a hot animal to suffer

brain damage, as animal

rights advocates remind the

public every summer. In Cal-

ifornia, it is illegal to leave an

animal unattended in a

vehicle when conditions

may endanger its health and

well-being. Circumstances

include heat and cold as well

as a lack of adequate ventila-

tion, food or water. A dog left

in a car with the windows

cracked on a hot, non-breezy

day does not always suffice

as adequate.

It is legal for California

residents to break into a

vehicle to save an animal

they think has been left un-

attended and is suffering.

That law went into effect in

2017.

In October, the Signal

Tribune wrote about Ozzy,

one of two dogs who worked

in the Long Beach Police De-

partment’s Drug Investiga-

tions Section.

Ozzy, who was half Bel-

gian Malinois and half Ger-

man shepherd, had worked

as a K-9 for more than five

years. In that time, he had

assisted several agencies in-

cluding the FBI and the Bu-

reau of Alcohol, Tobacco,

Firearms and Explosives.

“We ask that you respect

the handler and his family,”

Chavarria said. “Our de-

partment is mourning

Ozzy’s loss as we would with

any of our employees. Our

K-9s are an indispensable

part of our department, and

we will continue to view

them as partners.”

Police dog dies

in Long Beach

officer’s hot car

OZZY, a 6-year-old police K-9, was found dead in his
handler’s department-issued vehicle on Aug. 14.

Long Beach Police Department

K-9 and his handler

were off-duty at the

time. An investigation

is underway.

By Colleen Shalby

The symptoms range

from ordinary to grim: fever

over 101 degrees, cough,

runny nose, red watery eyes

and, then, the clincher — a

rash that starts on the face

and spreads to the rest of the

body.

With thousands of people

potentially exposed to mea-

sles earlier this month at

Disneyland, Los Angeles In-

ternational Airport and sev-

eral other locations in Los

Angeles and Orange coun-

ties, health officials are urg-

ing those who may be vul-

nerable to watch for those

symptoms of the potentially

deadly disease.

Anyone who develops the

symptoms, especially those

who haven’t been vaccinated

against measles or aren’t

sure they have, should stay

home and call a doctor to

schedule a visit, health offi-

cials said.

“Tell them that you

might have measles before

you go in, so they can take

steps to prevent other pa-

tients and staff from being

exposed,” a statement re-

leased by the Los Angeles

Department of Public

Health Friday advised.

Because symptoms such

as fever and cough are com-

mon, they alone are unlikely

to indicate measles, said

L.A. County Chief Medical

Officer Dr. Jeffrey Gunzen-

hauser.

“However, there are cer-

tain other signs such as con-

junctivitis (red eyes) and

Koplik spots that are more

specific to measles, so if a

person has a rash and a high

fever, they should seek medi-

cal evaluation and their pro-

vider can do further tests to

assess whether this is mea-

sles,” Gunzenhauser said in

a statement.

Although early measles

can imitate other illnesses,

for public health consider-

ation physicians should “be

thinking possible measles

even without the classic

rash,” said infectious-dis-

ease specialist Dr. Robert

Winters.

That’s because the rash

appears three to five days af-

ter the onset of other symp-

toms, and patients can be

contagious four days before

the development of the rash.

“Infected contagious pa-

tients may be out in the com-

munity before a measles di-

agnosis is made,” Winters

said. “Thus, many people

can become infected from

this one individual.”

The warning was

prompted by the potential

exposure of thousands of

people to the measles virus

carried by a New Zealand

teenager who visited South-

ern California from August 1 1

to 15 while sick with the dis-

ease.

A statement from the Or-

ange County Health Care

Agency advised those who

could have had close contact

with the tourist to monitor

themselves for symptoms

that could arise from seven

to 21 days after exposure, or

through Sept. 5.

Officials said they were

attempting to identify any

exposed individuals who

were not immune.

“As needed, we may quar-

antine or restrict the activ-

ities of persons who may be

‘incubating’ the illness,” a

statement from the L.A.

County Department of Pub-

lic Health said.

Among other symptoms,

measles can cause ear infec-

tions and diarrhea and more

serious illnesses such as

pneumonia, encephalitis

(swelling around the brain),

and even death.

Children younger than 6,

pregnant women and people

with weakened immune sys-

tems because of leukemia or

HIV are more likely to devel-

op serious health problems.

There is no cure for mea-

sles. Treatment focuses on

relieving symptoms and

managing the related health

problems.

Vaccination doesn’t help

prevent the disease in cases

where exposure has already

occurred, but people should

review their vaccination his-

tories to ensure against fu-

ture exposure, the advis-

ories said.

“Getting vaccinated is

the best way to keep from

getting and spreading mea-

sles,” a fact sheet posted by

the Los Angeles County De-

partment of Public Health

said.

Measles immunizations

are available at doctor’s of-

fices, pharmacies and health

clinics. Public Health clinics

offer no or low-cost immuni-

zations for individuals who

are uninsured or underin-

sured.

News of the potential ex-

posure comes as the country

grapples with its worst mea-

sles outbreak in decades. As

of Aug. 15, 1,203 people have

been diagnosed with mea-

sles this year, compared with

372 in all of 2018.

There have been 65 re-

corded cases of measles in

California this year. Officials

urge anyone who has not

been vaccinated to get im-

munized; most people who

have contracted measles in

the state were not immu-

nized.

Orange County officials

said visitors may have been

exposed to measles while at

Disneyland or California Ad-

venture on Aug. 12, or at the

Desert Palms Hotel in Ana-

heim between Aug. 11 and 15.

Los Angeles health offi-

cials provided an additional

list of locations where people

may have been exposed to

measles:

8 Los Angeles Interna-

tional Airport Terminal 8:

Aug. 11 between 9 p.m. and

11:30 p.m.

8 Universal Studios: Aug.

14.

8 TCL Chinese Theatre

at 6925 Hollywood Blvd:

Aug. 15.

8 Madame Tussauds at

6933 Hollywood Blvd: Aug.

15.

8 The Original Farmers

Market at 6333 W 3rd St.:

Aug. 15.

8 Santa Monica Pier and

Beach: Aug. 15.

8 LAX Tom Bradley In-

ternational Terminal: Aug.

15 between 6 p.m. and 11:59

p.m.

DISNEYLANDvisitors may have been exposed to measles by an infected tourist on Aug. 12, O.C. officials say.

Christina HouseLos Angeles Times

Showing signs of measles?

Amid Disneyland

warnings, officials urge

people with symptoms

to seek medical care.

By Doug Smith

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE
— Gov. Gavin Newsom has
accused President Trump of
trying to scuttle California’s
strict car emissions stand-
ards to help the oil industry,
calling it a “pathetic” deci-
sion disguised as a way to as-
sist automakers.
Newsom’s comments this
past week came less than a
month after state officials
worked to circumvent the
Trump administration’s ef-
forts to relax tailpipe pollu-
tion regulations by reaching
a deal with four major au-
tomakers to gradually
strengthen fuel-efficiency
standards.
“This was a big blow to
the Trump administration,
what we were able to accom-
plish, and I don’t think they
saw it coming,” Newsom told
reporters at a conservation
summit at Lake Tahoe with
leaders from California and
Nevada. “This idea that
they’re helping the automo-
bile manufacturers, that’s
just been blown up, a com-
plete myth. It was made up.”
The New York Times re-
ported that after the an-
nouncement of the deal, a

Trump advisor called offi-

cials from Toyota, Fiat

Chrysler and General Mo-

tors to the White House to

urge them to support the

president’s emissions policy.

Newsom criticized the

president for trying to im-

pose his will on private in-

dustry, saying it was a

strong-arm tactic expected

in “crackpot, Third World

countries” and not the

United States.

“This is pathetic, and it

shows the weakness of the

administration,” Newsom

said. “No one wants

[Trump’s mileage policy] ex-

cept the oil companies. And

what a sad, pathetic state of

affairs that they’re the ones

calling the shots.”

A White House official

said the president’s policy

will save Americans money

and make vehicles safer,

adding that the White House

attempted to work with Cali-

fornia leaders when crafting

a new policy, but that the

state did not attempt to ne-

gotiate in good faith.

The voluntary deal be-

tween the California Air Re-

sources Board and au-

tomakers Ford, Honda,

Volkswagen and BMW cov-

ers about a third of the new

cars and sport utility vehi-

cles sold in the U.S. Under

the agreement, the four au-

tomakers agreed to produce

cars that must reach a min-

imum of about 50 mpg by

2026.

Newsom also confirmed a

New York Times report that

Mercedes-Benz is about to

join the agreement with Cal-

ifornia and said state offi-

cials are in discussions with

another major automaker.

Newsom said it showed

that automakers, which had

supported relaxing emis-

sion standards just a few

years ago, now realize that

producing high-mileage

cars was a necessity to keep

pace with competing auto-

mobile manufacturers in

China, India and across the

globe.

The pact marks a major

strategic victory for Califor-

nia in its fight with the

Trump administration over

tailpipe pollution and efforts

to combat climate change.

The Trump administra-

tion’s policy would freeze

miles-per-gallon targets af-

ter 2020, a rollback that its

own calculations show

would increase daily gas

consumption across the

United States by about

500,000 barrels a day, wors-

ening greenhouse gas emis-

sions and contributing to

the rise in global tempera-

tures.

When Trump announced

the rollback of mileage

standards in 2017, he told

workers at a vehicle testing

facility outside Detroit that

his administration was mak-

ing “common-sense

changes” and would lift up

the American auto industry

and its workers. “We are go-

ing to ensure that any regu-

lations we have protect and

defend your jobs,” Trump

said.

Since Trump’s election in

2016, California officials have

filed more than 50 lawsuits

over the administration’s ac-

tions on a variety of issues,

including more than two

dozen challenges to policies

proposed by the U.S. Envi-

ronmental Protection

Agency, the U.S. Depart-

ment of the Interior and

other federal agencies re-

sponsible for setting energy

and fuel-efficiency stand-

ards. Just last week, Califor-

nia joined a coalition of 21

other states suing to block

the Trump administration’s

attempt to gut restrictions

on coal-burning power

plants.

“We’re just in a com-

pletely unprecedented and

different moment in our his-

tory, but will continue to

fight back and punch above

our weight and build part-

nerships and collabora-

tions,” Newsom said.

Newsom was the keynote

speaker at Tuesday’s Lake

Tahoe Summit, an annual

event first held 23 years ago

when leaders in California

and Nevada became

alarmed that the lake’s wa-

ter was clouding up.

The event was hosted by

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-

Calif.), and speakers in-

cluded Nevada’s Demo-

cratic governor, Steve Siso-

lak, and one of the state’s

two Democratic U.S. sena-

tors, Catherine Cortez

Masto. Reps. John Gara-

mendi (D-Walnut Grove)

and Tom McClintock (R-Elk

Grove) also spoke at the

event.

Feinstein struck a bipar-

tisan tone when she opened

the summit, saying efforts to

restore Lake Tahoe’s once

crystal-clear waters have

been successful in recent

years because Democrats

and Republicans worked to-

gether.

In 2016, Feinstein and

former Sen. Barbara Boxer

(D-Calif.) joined with their

Senate counterparts in Ne-

vada at the time, Democrat

Harry Reid and Republican

Dean Heller, in a successful

effort to reauthorize the

Lake Tahoe Restoration

Act, bringing $415 million

over seven years to protect

Lake Tahoe from pollutants

and invasive species, as well

as to help restore the health

of the surrounding forests

and reduce the risk of wild-

fire.

“It has to be bipartisan.

It’s not going to work if you

fragment and you fight,” Fe-

instein said. “People are now

working together.”

Times staff writer Anna M.

Phillips contributed to this

report.

Newsom assails Trump’s auto emissions policy

Governor calls

president’s decision

to scuttle state’s tough

standards ‘pathetic.’

By Phil Willon

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM,right, with Nevada Gov.

Steve Sisolak and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.

Rich PedroncelliAssociated Press