Los Angeles Coronavirus Update: Grim Thanksgiving Day Numbers Presage Dark December

The union that represents rank-and-file Los Angeles police officers is targeting several City Council members through a billboard campaign amid talks of budget cuts that could lead to a reduction in services and cops. The Los Angeles Police Protective League is asking around 9,800 members to vote in favor of forgoing $22 each pay period over two years to fund the union's political activities, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

“I want to be clear: Our hospitals are under siege and there is no end in sight,” said Los Angeles County’s Director of Health Services, Dr. Christina Gahly. “Unless we remain more vigilant and more diligent through the holidays and beyond, we will not be able to stop the surge.”

As the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine was delivered at a Los Angeles-area hospital, the county’s hospital and ICU capacity dropped to alarming lows.

“I again want to sound an alarm that we’ve been sounding for the last month,” said Los Angeles Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

“The worst is not behind us,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Thursday. “The worst is right in front of us.”

A California judge issued a ruling on Tuesday that said Los Angeles County acted “arbitrarily” and without rational justification when it banned outdoor dining late last month, according to reports. "The Restaurant Closure Order is an abuse of the Department’s emergency powers, is not grounded in science, evidence, or logic, and should be adjudicated to be unenforceable as a matter of law," wrote Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C.

The day after Los Angeles County’s number of new cases topped 10,000 for the first time, state and local officials warned about the status of the region’s health care system.

The coronavirus continues to take hold over Los Angeles county as Public Health officials confirmed a total of 8,949 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday alone.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported on Friday the highest number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations ever in a day with 8,860 new cases and 2,668 people hospitalized.

“Today, Tuesday, December 1, 2020, is the worst day thus far of the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles County,” said county health director Barbara Ferrer. “However, it will likely not remain the worst day of the pandemic in Los Angeles County. That will be tomorrow, and the next day and the next as cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase.” The numbers validate Ferrer’s grim words.

“We expect unfortunately, as we go into the next couple of weeks into December, that we might see a surge superimposed on top of the surge that we’re already in.” That was Dr. Anthony Fauci on Meet the Press this past Sunday. See a clip of Fauci’s comments below.

Los Angeles County announced a new stay-home order Friday as coronavirus cases surge out of control in the nation’s most populous county. The three-week order takes effect Monday.

Los Angeles residents may have trudged through the Thanksgiving holiday during the Covid-19 pandemic, but Los Angeles Public Health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said Saturday that the county’s far from in the clear.

An off-duty law enforcement officer was recorded on cell phone video fighting with another person inside a sprawling Los Angeles-area shopping mall Friday.  The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told Fox News affiliate KTTT-TV that the confrontation at the Los Cerritos Center stemmed from a social media post.  The sheriff's office could not confirm that information with Fox News.

Los Angeles County’s top hospital official on Tuesday said the county was struggling to accurately convey just how grave the region’s situation is vis a vis Covid-19.

Iggy Azalea and her son Onyx, 7 mos., were spotted at the LAX airport on Nov. 25.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told residents Tuesday to cancel all non-essential travel as coronavirus cases surge in California.  This comes days before the Thanksgiving holiday, which the L.A. County Department of Public Health is "strongly" recommending people only spend with other members of their household.  "Please don’t plan, host or attend holiday gatherings for multiple households," the L.A.

Tom Tapp Deputy Managing EditorOne day after Los Angeles saw its highest number of daily COVID-19 cases ever, county health officials warned of another related rising number: deaths.“Our daily counts for the past few days have been higher than a usual week,” said L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer.