Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of May 12, 2020
Title
CONFIRMATION OF CITY MANAGER/DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY
SERVICES EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 2020-02 IN RESPONSE TO
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
(Interim Emergency Management Coordinator Michael Edwards)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
The City Manager/Director of Emergency Services issued Executive Order No. 2020-02 on April 27, 2020 (Attachment 1), memorializing actions taken in response to the novel (new) coronavirus (COVID-10). Pursuant to HBMC section 2.56.060.A, staff recommends that the City Council confirm Executive Order No. 2020-02.
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Background:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that is caused by the novel coronavirus. It spreads through droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Some people with COVID-19 virus do not have symptoms or have mild symptoms, which means that they can spread it to others without knowing that they are infected. It may also spread when a person touches a surface or object that has the virus from the infected person on it and then touches their mouth, nose, or eyes before washing their hands.
People who are infected with COVID-19 can have mild to severe respiratory illness, with fever and cough that can develop into difficulty breathing. It can lead to serious illness and has caused over 600 deaths in Los Angeles County. Everyone is at risk for becoming ill with COVID-19, but some people are more vulnerable to serious illness due to their age, physical state, and/or health status.
Antibody testing suggests that the number of persons infected or previously infected with COVID-19 may be 28 to 55 times the reported infection numbers in Los Angeles County.
On March 4, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statewide Proclamation of a State of Emergency.
On March 15, 2020, Mayor Mary Campbell declared a local emergency in Hermosa Beach. At a special meeting on March 16, 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 20-7230 (Attachment 3), approving and ratifying the declaration of emergency and ordering the following:
1. Closure of bars and onsite dining-in restaurants.
2. Closure of gyms and fitness facilities.
3. Prohibition of formal and informal group activities, sports and games.
4. Closure of outdoor play structures and exercise equipment.
5. Placement of signs in specified public places notifying the public of closures and social distancing requirements.
On March 24, 2020, the Council waived restaurant outdoor encroachment permit fees from March 17 to April 30, 2020. Also, on March 24, 2020, the Council adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 20-1406U, establishing a temporary moratorium on residential and commercial evictions and foreclosures. On April 14, 2020, the Council adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 20-1407U making certain modifications to the temporary moratorium.
On April 22, 2020, the City Manager issued Executive Order 2020-01 (Attachment 2) which memorialized 11 issues that warranted action during this time of local emergency. The order was confirmed by the City Council at its regular meeting of April 28, 2020.
On April 27, 2020, the City Manager issued the following two additional emergency orders, as memorialized in Executive Order No. 2020-02:
1. The ten cents ($0.10) per recycled paper carryout bag charged to customers by affected retail establishments provided by Hermosa Beach Municipal Code Section 8.68.040 is hereby suspended.
2. All restaurants, snack shops and similar businesses that serve food (and, optionally, groceries) and alcohol via delivery, pick-up or drive-thru shall not provide any alcohol to a customer prior to providing the entire food/meal order; i.e. all alcohol shall be provided to the customer concurrently with the delivery of food. All such establishments shall monitor customers waiting for food to ensure that no one is consuming alcohol on or adjacent to the premises.
The Los Angeles County Health Officer issued a “Safer at Home” Order to slow the spread of COVID-19 so that the healthcare delivery system would not be overwhelmed by extremely ill people who need high levels of care in our hospitals. The Safer at Home Order is currently in effect through May 15, 2020 and applies to everyone in Los Angeles County, except the cities of Long Beach and Pasadena. On March 27, 2020, the County Health Officer closed all beaches in Los Angeles County.
The Governor has also issued a shelter-in-place order. All County residents must comply with the stricter of the Governor’s Orders, the County Health Officer’s Orders, and City orders and ordinances, violations of which are subject to fines, imprisonment, or both.
Analysis:
In light of the foregoing and the continuing need to slow the spread of the disease caused by the novel (new) coronavirus (COVID-19) and provide relief to residents and businesses who find themselves unable to meet their obligations to due to loss of income and revenue resulting therefrom, the Director of Emergency Services has issued Executive Orders 2020-01 and 2020-02.
City Council confirmed Executive Order No. 2020-01 on April 28, 2020. Staff recommends that the City Council now confirm Executive Order No. 2020-02. Future orders promulgated by the Director of Emergency Services required to protect the public, preserve municipal government, assure disaster aid, and provide relief to residents and businesses will be similarly brought to the Council for confirmation.
Fiscal Implications:
The City of Hermosa Beach initially incurs all costs incurred related to the City’s response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, but will submit requests for cost recovery to the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), either directly, or through the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, (LACoOEM), the local reporting agent.
Attachments:
1. Executive Order No. 2020-02
2. Executive Order No. 2020-01
3. Resolution 20-7230 Confirming Existence of Local Emergency
Respectfully Submitted by: Michael Edwards, Interim Emergency Management Coordinator
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Legal Review: Mike Jenkins, City Attorney
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager