Coronavirus in California

Latest Episodes:

Culture Captures Quarantine May 06, 2020

Show notes

Pandemics leave a trace on culture, whether it's architecture, public space, poetry or painting. Our guest is L.A. Times culture writer Carolina Miranda, who has been documenting how artists are reacting to this moment and unearthing the remnants of past pandemics in our cultural life.

More reading: Rafael Cardenas set out to capture L.A. in a photo a day. He ended up recording a pandemic.

[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Funny You Should Mask May 05, 2020

Show notes

Laughter’s in short supply these days. Thankfully there’s a new show to stream online called “Funny You Should Mask,” in which comedic actors like Ken Jeong, Nicole Byer and Kumail Nanjiani interview doctors and nurses about the coronavirus. Our guest is the host of the show, Rob Corddry, whom you might know from “The Daily Show,” “Hot Tub Time Machine,” and “Ballers.”

More reading: The coronavirus pandemic is terrifying — it’s OK to laugh.

[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Coronavirus Budget Blues May 04, 2020

Show notes

All signs point to a difficult economic period coming our way. The financial crisis is going to hit not only businesses small and large, but also government. Typically, California spends over $200 billion a year on services such as road repairs, prisons, unemployment benefits and construction of affordable housing. Our guest is state Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), who chairs the Senate Budget Committee.

More reading: Coronavirus crisis could trigger huge California deficits, lawmakers are told.

[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Mike Davis on the Coronavirus May 01, 2020

Show notes

Whether it’s an earthquake, a fire or a riot, disaster has long been part of the ecology of Southern California. Our guest is Mike Davis, who for decades has been delivering apocalyptic warnings about pandemics and other catastrophic events in his books “The Monster at Our Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu,” "City of Quartz" and "Ecology of Fear.”

More reading: Revisiting Mike Davis’ case for letting Malibu burn.

[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Keeping Farmworkers Safe Apr 30, 2020

Show notes

California grows more than a third of the country's vegetables and two thirds of its fruit and nuts. That means farmhands are essential workers. Without them, we don't have food. But many farmworkers lack the resources that other essential workers in our economy have, like access to the internet and healthcare. Our guest is Carissa Purnell, director of the Alisal Family Resource Center in Salinas.

More reading: Coronavirus pandemic brings new levels of misery to Coachella Valley farmworkers.

[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

A Mental Health Emergency Apr 29, 2020

Show notes

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 can be harmful in their own way, experts say.

[Advertisement] This LA Times podcast is brought to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Mariachis Silenced Across the Southland Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

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 shut them all down. Our guest is Carlos Samaniego, the musical director for Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles, possibly the world’s first LGBTQ mariachi group.

More reading: How the coronavirus muted L.A. mariachi music.

[Advertisement] This LA Times podcast is brought to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Thank Your Grocery Store Worker Today Apr 27, 2020

Show notes

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? Blame coronavirus demand.

[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Immigrant Detainees Fight COVID-19 Apr 24, 2020

Show notes

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 reading: ACLU sues for ‘drastic reduction’ of immigrant detainees along California border due to coronavirus.

[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

Stay Home, Shred Later Apr 23, 2020

Show notes

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 reporter Rosanna Xia.

More reading: A beach coronavirus warning meets a tidal wave of controversy, and the test of science.

[Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line.

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