Los Angeles Times - 06.04.2020

L ATIMES.COM MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020B

CITY & STATE

A gun rights group is su-
ing the city of Los Angeles,
arguing that an order that
has shut down stores selling
firearms in L.A. during the
COVID-19 pandemic is un-
constitutional and pre-
empted by state law.
The lawsuit, whose plain-
tiffs include the California
Rifle & Pistol Assn. and
stores selling firearms in the
San Fernando Valley, states
that although Mayor Eric
Garcetti did not expressly
name gun stores in his writ-
ten order, both Garcetti and
City Atty. Mike Feuer have
stated that the stores must
close, and the Police Depart-
ment has ordered them to

shut down.

The rifle group argues

that the move defies a state

order allowing workers from

“critical infrastructure sec-

tors” to continue working.In

addition, the plaintiffs con-

tend that the L.A. order vio-

lates the California state

Constitution by depriving li-

censed dealers of the ability

to operate without “due

process of law” and keeping

buyers from their “lawfully

purchased property.”

The plaintiffs want the

courts to force Los Angeles

to immediately stop enforc-

ing the order.

“Firearm stores provide

essential and desperately

needed services for police,

first responders, private se-

curity and concerned citi-

zens — including those who

want to be prepared for po-

tential civil unrest,” said

Chuck Michel, an attorney

representing the plaintiffs.

“The vast majority of ju-

risdictions in California rec-

ognize this. But the city is

stubbornly clinging to its

dogmatic opposition to al-

lowing people to choose for

themselves how best to be

prepared,” Michel said.

Michel added that fire-

arm stores were “going

above and beyond” to ensure

social distancing by keeping

people at least six feet apart

and getting cellphone num-

bers for customers so they

could wait in their cars until

being allowed inside.

In reaction to the lawsuit,

Los Angeles City Atty. Mike

Feuer said in a statement

Saturday that “in this public

health emergency, my office

will forcefully defend chal-

lenges to the mayor’sSafer

at Homeorder.”

“All Angelenos — busi-

nesses and residents alike —

owe it to each other to com-

ply with the order,” Feuer

said. “The future of our city

depends on it.”

Another set of gun owner

groups already sued the Los

Angeles County sheriff, Gov.

Gavin Newsom and other of-

ficials over the closure of gun

stores across the county to

anyone but police and li-

censed employees of securi-

ty companies. The lawsuit,

filed in federal court, charac-

terized the closure as a viola-

tion of the 2nd Amendment

right to bear arms.

After getting a federal ad-

visory, Sheriff Alex Vil-

lanueva changed course and

allowed such stores to re-

main open. The city of Los

Angeles, which has contin-

ued to order the closure of

gun shops, was later added

as a defendant in the federal

case.

Feuer and other city at-

torneys argued in the federal

case that “all kinds of busi-

nesses have been temporari-

ly shuttered to address a dire

public health need” and that

gun stores should not be ex-

empt from the order, which

was imposed to slow the

spread of the novel co-

ronavirus.

“Any measure that averts

unnecessary person-to-per-

son contact slows the spread

of infection, and so buys the

county’s healthcare system

time to address the

COVID-19 crisis before the

number of sick patients

overwhelms its capacity to

care for them,” city attor-

neys wrote in their filing.

Times staff writer

Richard Winton

contributed to this report.

Gun group sues L.A. over store closures

MAYOR Eric Garcetti, left, and City Atty. Mike

Feuer have stated that L.A. firearm stores must close.

Nick UtAssociated Press

The suit says the city

is defying a state order

that exempts ‘critical

infrastructure sectors.’

By Emily Alpert Reyes

Riverside County’s pub-

lic health officer on Saturday

ordered all residents to cov-

er their faces when leaving

home, marking a dramatic

escalation by county offi-

cials in their attempts to

slow the spread of the novel

coronavirus.

Dr. Cameron Kaiser said

that despite previous pleas

from county officials for resi-

dents to socially distance,

cover their faces and stay

home, “more and more” resi-

dents were getting infected

with the virus, and “not

everyone’s getting the mes-

sage.”

“We change from saying

that you should to saying

that you must,” Kaiser said

in a statement published by

the county.

As of Saturday, Riverside

County has reported 665

confirmed cases of

COVID-19, while 18 people

have died from the disease,

officials said.

Face coverings can in-

clude bandannas, scarves

“or other clothing that does

not have visible holes,” ac-

cording to a statement from

the county. Medical-grade

masks, like the N95, should

be reserved for healthcare

workers and first respond-

ers, the statement said.

Los Angeles and the Bay

Area had previously urged

residents to cover their

mouths and noses, and San

Diego County on Friday or-

dered all essential workers

to do the same, part of a

broader effort among local

governments and the state

to flatten the curve of the

pandemic before hospitals

become overwhelmed with

COVID-19 patients.

But Riverside County’s

new mandate is far more

strict, requiring anyone who

leaves the house to cover up.

The order also bans all

gatherings of people except

for family members residing

in the same home, according

to the county’s news release.

The sharply worded news

release said police officers

have the power to enforce

the orders “as they deem

necessary.”

“We have already lost two

of our deputies to this virus. I

am asking all of you to honor

them by staying at home,”

Sheriff Chad Bianco said.

The gatherings ban also

applies to places of worship,

according to the county. Es-

sential businesses like gro-

cery stores, pharmacies and

gas stations are not affected.

One official noted that for

Christians, Sunday is the be-

ginning of Holy Week, the

week preceding Easter, and

that this was a good time to

show their love for their

neighbors.

“Palm Sunday, Passover

and Easter are sacred days.

The best way to practice our

love for God is loving our fel-

low neighbor. That means

staying home and observing

the holidays at home,” said

county Board of Supervisors

Chairman V. Manuel Perez.

Masks are a

must, Riverside

County says

Health officials order

residents to cover

their faces when

leaving home.

By Adam Elmahrek

SAYINGthat “not everyone’s getting the message,” Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kai-

ser ordered all residents to wear face coverings in public. Above, Chani Beeman picks up a takeout order.

Gina FerazziLos Angeles Times

The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and
a growing number of Califor-
nia officials are now recom-
mending that people wear
face coverings or masks
when out doing essential
tasks such as grocery shop-
ping and going to medical
appointments.
But how do you keep your
coverings clean?
The California Depart-
ment of Public Health
recommends frequently
washing cloth face masks —
ideally after each use, or at
least daily. Place the cov-
erings in a bag or bin until
they can be washed with de-
tergent and hot water and
dried on a hot cycle (or at
least washed with hot, soapy
water).
If you have to wear the
covering again before wash-
ing it, wash your hands im-

mediately after putting it

back on and avoid touching

your face.

And throw out any masks

that no longer cover your

nose and mouth, have

stretched out or damaged

straps, can’t stay on your

face, or have holes or tears in

the fabric.

Like the CDC, state offi-

cials have said people should

not use medical or surgical

masks, which are desper-

ately needed by medical per-

sonnel. But they say cloth

masks, if used correctly,

could reduce coronavirus

transmission among people

with no symptoms and rein-

force physical distancing

regulations.

Experts say masks alone

are not particularly effective

in preventing infection.

They don’t cover the eyes, for

instance, and a bit of

coughed saliva that sprays

into the eye can cause an

infection.

Wearing a mask but still

touching your face with

unwashed, virus-contam-

inated hands can also lead to

infection. People often find

masks uncomfortable and

will touch them to make

adjustments.

But even if they don’t pro-

vide full protection to the

wearer, the masks can pro-

tect others nearby by remov-

ing contaminated droplets

from the air released by

asymptomatic people when

breathing or talking.

Research published by

Cambridge University Press

in 2013 found that home-

made cloth masks “signifi-

cantly” reduced the amount

of potentially infectious

droplets expelled by the

wearer.

Dr. Otto Yang,a UCLA

expert in infectious dis-

eases, said he thought uni-

versal mask-wearing had

helped keep the virus under

control in places such as

Singaporeand Taiwan.

“My personal opinion is

that that’s probably been an

important thing in other

countries flattening their

curve,” he said. “If you go to

Taiwan or Singapore, every-

one’s got a mask on all the

time. Healthy or not. Sick or

not.”

The California Depart-

ment of Public Health has

these guidelines for cloth

masks:

8 Face coverings can be

made out of cloth, factory-

made or hand-sewn, or im-

provised using bandannas,

scarves, T-shirts, sweat-

shirts or towels.

8 The material should

cover both the nose and

mouth.

8 Ideally, face coverings

should be washed after each

use. Dirty masks should be

placed in a dedicated laun-

dry bag or bin.

8 Use detergent and hot

water when washing cloth

masks, and dry them on a

hot cycle.

8 Be sure your mask is

comfortable; you don’t want

to have to keep adjusting the

mask, because that means

touching your face.

8 Wash your hands, or use

hand sanitizer, before and

after touching your face or

face coverings.

8 If you must wear your

cloth face covering again be-

fore washing it, wash your

hands immediately after

putting it back on and avoid

touching your face.

Yes, a DIY face covering

can help. Just keep it clean

With the CDC and

local officials advising

the use of cloth masks,

here’s what to know.

By Andrea Castillo

KRISTEN TRATTNER,co-owner of the Nickel Diner at 5th and Main streets in

downtown L.A., wears a cloth mask, which can help limit transmission of viruses.

Francine OrrLos Angeles Times