LCC Scrapped, Leftys Still a Go

Sadly, it appears that this year’s Left Coast Crime (LCC) convention—which began on Wednesday in San Diego, California, and was scheduled to continue into this coming Sunday, March 15—has had to be cancelled due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday morning, LCC organizers reported, “There have been a lot of cancellations but Left Coast Crime 2020 is underway with over 400 people.” However, in the late afternoon San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency declared that “effective immediately all gatherings of more than 250 people are directed to be postponed or cancelled across the county. This includes concerts, conferences, and professional, college, and school sporting events. Smaller events can proceed only if organizers can implement social distancing of six feet between participants. These restrictions will remain in effect at least through the end of March.” Click here to follow LCC’s progressive updates on how COVID-19 affected convention planning.

So what happens now in terms of the four Lefty Awards that were to have been presented during this week’s gathering?

According to Janet Rudolph, LCC’s national publicity chair, convention board members met this morning in person and via phone to discuss the matter at length. She says a decision was reached to go ahead with this year’s Leftys, though who will be eligible to vote (only the people who actually showed up for the festivities in San Diego, or all of those who registered for it?) has yet to be determined, as does the method for voting (online only?). As to when such voting might proceed? Rudolph can say only that “information will be out soon.”

We’ll keep you informed as we hear more.

READ MORE: “The Convention That Wasn’t,” by Claire Booth
(Do Some Damage).