question: With the continuing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic coupled with phased reopening, it is critical to identify risk factors associated with susceptibility and severity of disease in a diverse population to help shape government policies, guide clinical decision making, and prioritize future COVID-19 research In this retrospective case-control study, we used de-identified electronic health records (EHR) from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Health System between March 9th, 2020 and June 14th, 2020 to identify risk factors for COVID-19 susceptibility (severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) PCR test positive), inpatient admission, and severe outcomes (treatment in an intensive care unit or intubation) Of the 26,602 individuals tested by PCR for SARS-CoV-2, 992 were COVID-19 positive (3 7% of Tested), 220 were admitted in the hospital (22% of COVID-19 positive), and 77 had a severe outcome (35% of Inpatient) Consistent with previous studies, males and individuals older than 65 years old had increased risk of inpatient admission Notably, individuals self-identifying as Hispanic or Latino constituted an increasing percentage of COVID-19 patients as disease severity escalated, comprising 24% of those testing positive, but 40% of those with a severe outcome, a disparity that remained after correcting for medical co-morbidities Cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and renal disease were premorbid risk factors present before SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing associated with COVID-19 susceptibility Less well-established risk factors for COVID-19 susceptibility included pre-existing dementia (odds ratio (OR) 5 2 [3 2-8 3], p=2 6 x 10-10), mental health conditions (depression OR 2 1 [1 6-2 8], p=1 1 x 10-6) and vitamin D deficiency (OR 1 8 [1 4-2 2], p=5 7 x 10-6) Renal diseases including end-stage renal disease and anemia due to chronic renal disease were the predominant premorbid risk factors for COVID-19 inpatient admission Other less established risk factors for COVID-19 inpatient admission included previous renal transplant (OR 9 7 [2 8-39], p=3 2x10-4) and disorders of the immune system (OR 6 0 [2 3, 16], p=2 7x10-4) Prior use of oral steroid medications was associated with decreased COVID-19 positive testing risk (OR 0 61 [0 45, 0 81], p=4 3x10-4), but increased inpatient admission risk (OR 4 5 [2 3, 8 9], p=1 8x10-5) We did not observe that prior use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers increased the risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, being admitted to the hospital, or having a severe outcome This study involving direct EHR extraction identified known and less well-established demographics, and prior diagnoses and medications as risk factors for COVID-19 susceptibility and inpatient admission Knowledge of these risk factors including marked ethnic disparities observed in disease severity should guide government policies, identify at-risk populations, inform clinical decision making, and prioritize future COVID-19 research