![Scenes from Southern California during pandemic](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6b9ca8e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1800x1200+0+25/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9b%2F95%2Fa9654ea44a87b39b21fdf13ff8f8%2F2020-year-end.gif)
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It’s been a wild ride.
2020 will not go down as a footnote in history. More likely, it’s the year no one will forget.
Visually, it brought challenges — PPE, social distancing — and an incredible body of storytelling.
It all started with the loss of a legend.
January
![Lakers players, eyes closed or looking to the sky, wear jerseys with Kobe's numbers on the court in Staples Center.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/48effbd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4796x3108+0+0/resize/2000x1296!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb0%2F21%2F26b5f2af4fe88c0b8a308d761983%2Fla-photos-1staff-477390-sp-0131-lakers-blazers11-wjs.jpg)
At the end of the month, the Los Angeles Fire Department executed a dramatic rescue after a large blaze enveloped the sixth floor of the 25-story Barrington Plaza apartments.
February
![A man stands on a sidewalk holding an ornate mirror in both hands.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2f3f403/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6720x4480+0+0/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4f%2F11%2F4d59d3f147be828f230603117f8a%2Fla-photos-1staff-495222-me-la-me-city-beat-homeless-voices-podcast-photographers-010.FO.jpg)
March
![A message painted on a wall on La Brea Avenue on March 31 reads: "Stay home. Life is beautiful."](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3c744a7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5760x3840+0+0/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F57%2F20%2F3249018f4399865916a812a4e6ff%2Fla-photos-1staff-514567-me-0330-neighborhood-community-12-gem.jpg)
On Thursday evening, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide “stay at home” order. Los Angeles Times photographer Jay L. Clendenin and videographer Mark Potts document the first night of the order in Hollywood.
Retailers are setting aside time for seniors and other vulnerable populations to do their shopping in a less-crowded environment.
![Mike Lynn grimaces as he does a pull-up on playground exercise equipment.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c36dda0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4800x3159+0+0/resize/2000x1316!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd0%2F71%2F316bc56d4460917339e83b660e6a%2Fla-photos-1staff-512488-la-me-neighborhood-community023-ls.jpg)
April
![Two people in protective gear pull a stretcher with a patient on a sidewalk. Another carries two large plastic bags.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/489aa59/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3385x2268+0+0/resize/2000x1340!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0a%2F6f%2F8ff2801e4b59abdd0fe346ea81b8%2Fla-photos-1staff-515784-me-0408-coronavirus-nursing-homes-1-gmf.jpg)
The deer, bobcats, coyotes and bears no longer have to deal with the hordes of camera-toting tourist vying to capture nature. They now roam unfettered.
Firefighters and law enforcement officers from L.A. to Laguna Beach express their gratitude to healthcare workers for their efforts in fighting COVID-19.
![Aerial view shows a serpentine trail of cars winding around an empty parking lot.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0940549/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2330+0+0/resize/2000x1294!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe4%2F7b%2F8c4b8ba445bd88f2ff59947277ee%2Fla-photos-1staff-512371-me-neighborhood-community-61-brv.jpg)
As we all adjust to our new lives under the umbrella of the coronavirus, Los Angeles Times photographer Luis Sinco gives us a look at downtown Los Angeles with the spotlight on Broadway.
May
Demonstrators demand that Gov. Gavin Newson’s stay-at-home order be lifted.
![Protesters stand atop a burned, graffiti-covered LAPD cruiser. Flames rise from another cruiser nearby.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a31bd19/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5476x3457+0+0/resize/2000x1263!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fef%2Fae%2Fd04f186448dead1326853e62a03b%2Fla-photos-1staff-549471-me-0530-george-floyd-protest3-wjs.jpg)
The coronavirus is killing so many people in Tijuana that the morgue has run out of refrigerator space for bodies.
![Surrounded by seated protesters and "Black Lives Matter" signs, Michelle Usher prays as fireworks streak overhead.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1254125/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4200x2762+0+0/resize/2000x1315!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F39%2Fa4%2F01259ca9457da2f4d7e5e355ba61%2Fla-photos-1staff-549499-me-0530-protest-george-floyd-9-gmf.jpg)
Visual look at the third phase to reopen California amid the coronavirus outbreak.
June
You’ll need a reservation to visit Yosemite, even if you’re just going for the day.
![A cyclist rides past a mural of a heart-shaped U.S. flag balloon with a long ribbon that curls to spell out "hope."](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1572dfd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6336x4416+0+0/resize/2000x1394!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F51%2F07a67a74482e841c8919b240cb18%2Fla-photos-1staff-514567-me-0615-neighborhood-community-gem-001.jpg)
A look at people around the Southland doing their thing, all masked up.
July
![People sit atop their cars, holding up cellphones to take photos and video, as multiple fireworks explode.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1319d43/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4440x2837+0+0/resize/2000x1278!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F23%2F59%2F51b5d75e4de9b8e59e917ffdd696%2Fla-photos-1staff-568338-me-0704-fourth-of-july-fireworks-1-gmf.jpg)
With this week’s Comic-Con International moving online because of the coronavirus pandemic, there’s a whole world of cosplayers with a lot of creativity to show off.
Second wave of coronavirus has businesses and the public moving from indoors to the great outdoors
The medical flight crew of Mercy Air was getting ready for bed when they got their first call of the day.
August
The iconic Monterey Bay Aquarium has been closed since March because of the pandemic, forcing major cutbacks. Still, the animals must be cared for.
It’s hard to predict what may happen when California’s primary schools reopen. But when it comes to the state’s youngest students, data are more robust and reassuring.
L.A.’s growing population of homeless people had enough troubles. They didn’t need the coronavirus on top of them — or this wretched, blistering heat wave.
September
The skies around the Bay Area and other parts of Northern California took on an eerie glow as smoke from several fires enveloped the region.
![A crow sitting on a cypress tree in Garden Grove is silhouetted by the sun partially obscured by ash from Southland wildfires](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d0602d1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4200x2825+0+0/resize/2000x1345!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3d%2F83%2F337c9c8b4cada4e110cb5d474511%2Fla-photos-1staff-610409-la-me-air-quality-fires-3-ajs.jpg)
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Black-owned businesses in the Leimert Park Village have been thriving this summer. Many owners begin to strategize on how to make the most of the historic moment.
October
The LAPD said more than 30 buildings were damaged, and eight officers and two other people were injured when celebrations turned destructive.
![Dodger fans watch the World Series from their cars on big screens set up in the Dodger Stadium parking lot](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/09f4194/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4500x2800+0+0/resize/2000x1244!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F9d%2F22f6e030462796bf30c13a37fb9f%2Fla-photos-1staff-639973-me-1027-dodgers-ws-vviewing-5-gmf.jpg)
The Galapagos marine reserve faces threats from industrial fishing, climate change and a drastic drop in tourism and funding for conservation.
November
Images from Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia and Nevada show 2020 election unrest.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a stay-at-home order affecting most of California.
![Nine people sit behind plates of food at a round table on the sand. In the background, the sun sets behind a lifeguard tower.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/93fa3d0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4800x3042+0+0/resize/2000x1268!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbb%2Fb2%2F041a662647f1a02c044017aac4e6%2Fla-photos-1staff-658942-la-me-getaway-bolsa-chica001-ls.jpg)
December
![Two people ice skate on an outdoor rink. In the background is a lighted Christmas tree, palm trees and the ocean.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a04b5c7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4800x3200+0+0/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc4%2Feb%2F56e01c2f44d7951b774abab3cbb3%2Fla-photos-1staff-662411-ocean-front-ice-skating-rink-2-ajs.jpg)
Los Angeles Times’ visual coverage of the coronavirus crisis
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