By Tatiana Prophet

LOS ANGELES — For the second time this year, beaches in the sprawling Los Angeles County show warning signs in blinking lights: “do not gather.” Swing sets are taped up high above parents’ heads. Outdoor dining is banned. Public schools are clearing out their teachers, who had been conducting zoom classes from their classrooms to the children at home. (And yet, unexpectedly, the L.A. County Parks and Recreation web site hasn’t updated its “Trails Closed” alerts since Sept. 9.)

Governor Newsom’s tweet above states that regions in the state that fall below 15 percent ICU capacity will impose stay-at-home orders for three weeks. Los Angeles County has had the brunt of cases, hospitalizations and deaths all year. But it’s being lumped together with other counties inland where existing ICU beds have filled up rapidly. So then why isn’t he telling us about the more than 2,500 beds that are currently not staffed, but are waiting to be brought online in L.A. County?