![]() ![]() Then in March, the county’s Department of Public Health issued a news release warning Angelenos that the sedative was “increasingly present within illicit drugs in California” and that it was now “likely present” in Los Angeles.Ĭalifornia L.A. But the drug was present in such small amounts that the county medical examiner listed “combined effects of ethanol and fentanyl” as the cause of death. So far, law enforcement efforts to quantify and document the presence of xylazine in Los Angeles street drugs have been relatively limited - though, aside from the DEA figures, there are a growing number of signs of its presence.Īn early public indication of the drug came in February, when a county health official confirmed to The Times that one man - a 25-year-old in El Monte - had trace levels of xylazine in his body when he died in December 2021. It’s not clear whether the xylazine samples were concentrated in one part of that region, and officials did not provide data more specific to Los Angeles County. “This is going to be very unique for us, because I’m asking them to track a non-controlled substance,” Bille said.īut those numbers might be less telling for Angelenos than they first appear: The Los Angeles Field Division’s region is so broad that it includes most of Southern California as well as Nevada, Hawaii and the territories of Guam and Saipan. If it’s high, they’ll begin figuring out standards for doing additional confirmatory tests in the future - just as they would for illegal drugs. If the number is relatively low, they’ll keep tracking for another month, Bille said. Over the course of a month-long trial run, officials hope to get a better sense of how often they typically see presumptive positives for xylazine. “The mission, given the volume of the caseload that we have, is to figure out: Is this a controlled substance or not?” Ernest Bille, who oversees the department’s Scientific Services Bureau. “There are a bunch of different additives - like vitamin C, which comes up a lot - that we don’t write down,” said Capt. Instead, they treated it like any other legal substances commonly used as additives in illegal drugs. In the past, even when lab workers noticed test results that seemed to show the presence of xylazine, they didn’t typically make any note of it. Starting in mid-April, crime lab analysts began making note of any preliminary signs of xylazine they spotted while testing samples of confiscated drugs. Now, though, the pilot program could help change that. Should the Chula Vista Police Department release footage captured by its aerial drones? A legal battle continues after the publisher of the bilingual news organization La Prensa San Diego sued the city for refusing to turn over video.At the time, department officials said that was because, despite its harms, xylazine is not illegal, so formally tracking it was beyond the scope of their work. The Mercury News CRIME, COURTS AND POLICING Students at Cindy Avitia High School are being instructed by educators as far away as Maryland and Alaska as the state’s teacher shortage (an issue even before the pandemic) continues to worsen for some school districts. With math and science teachers in short supply, one San Jose school is turning back to Zoom. “I think she needs to take care of herself, and you can’t take care of yourself with that intense responsibility,” one prominent fundraiser told The Times. An increasingly vocal contingent of Democrats remain concerned about the 89-year-old’s ability to represent Californians. Dianne Feinstein has returned to Washington as she continues to recover from shingles. The buzz about their presence spread as people rushed to get a glimpse of the couple and post to social media. Former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama joined fellow parents Friday to cheer on their youngest daughter, who earned a degree in sociology. Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing.Ī couple of guests at Sasha Obama’s USC graduation caused a stir. You can read more about these and other striking writers in Josh and Jessica’s latest story.Īnd now, here’s what’s happening across California. “Unfortunately, we’ve improved the diversity in the guild at a time when finding work is hardest.” I wish everyone could experience what I experienced,” Diamond said. He was able to learn the ropes and become a successful showrunner but noted that that’s a dwindling path for writers today as studios continue to devalue their work. But if we don’t get what we need out of these negotiations, I don’t see myself recommending this career to anybody.”ĭiamond, 61, came to Hollywood at an opportune time, when network TV comedies were booming, and ran nearly two dozen episodes a season. “I’m sure over the next weeks and months, there will be moments where you lose all hope that this is ever going to end. ![]()
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