Dear Residents,

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes continues to monitor the spread of the novel coronavirus in Los Angeles County and would like to share the following updates with the community:

The Latest

Alert SouthBay Safer at Home PSA

Cases

As of April 23, there are 17,508 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Los Angeles County, including the South Bay, so the public should not think one location is safer than another and everyone should be aware and practice physical distancing. The total includes 50 cases in Rancho Palos Verdes, 37 in Palos Verdes Estates and 13 in Rolling Hills Estates. Countywide, 797 people have died.

For a list of cases broken down by city, demographic characteristics, and settings, visit: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/locations.htm

An interactive dashboard of COVID-19 cases in the South Bay maintained by the City of Torrance is available at bit.ly/2XB1fv1. The dashboard reflects information sourced by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

It’s Takeout Thursday!

Today, the City supported one of its restaurants by donating 50 sandwiches from RPV’s Subway in the Golden Cove Shopping Center to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in appreciation of the hospital’s lab personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mayor John Cruikshank and City Manager Ara Mihranian were happy to deliver lunch to these hardworking frontline personnel and hope it helped lift their spirits during this challenging time.

The City encourages residents to support our first responders, health care workers, essential workers and local restaurants, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out how you can help at rpvca.gov/coronavirus

Reminder: Alert SouthBay Community Survey #2

Have you responded to the Alert SouthBay survey? The Alert SouthBay cities, including Rancho Palos Verdes, want to hear from you about your COVID-19 concerns and what kind of information you need and care about most. Take a moment to fill out the survey at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Z9ZD2NW

Local Volunteer Match

If you're a parent, student or graduate of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District interested in participating in the volunteer match program, or an older resident needing support, contact Member Reid at reidl@pvpusd.net.

Find out more ways to help your community during the COVID-19 crisis by visiting the How You Can Help page on the City’s coronavirus webpage.

Heat Safety Tips

High temperatures have been forecast for many areas throughout L.A. County this weekend. As the Safer at Home Order remains in effect, the Department of Public Health would like to remind everyone that precautions should be taken to avoid heat-related illness, especially by older adults, young children, outdoor workers, athletes, and people with a chronic medical condition, among others, who are especially sensitive to negative health impacts from extreme heat.

Public Health offers the following recommendations during high temperatures:

• Drink plenty of water and keep hydrated throughout the day.
• If you must go out, plan your day to avoid going out during the hottest hours, and wear sunscreen. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothes, and bring a hat or umbrella with you.
• Cars get very hot. Don't leave children or pets in cars, and call 911 if you see a child or pet in a car alone.
• Beware of heat-related illness, like heat stroke and call 911 if you see these symptoms: high body temperature, vomiting, and pale and clammy skin.
• Check on those at risk, like the sick, older adults, pregnant women, and children.
• Avoid working out wearing face coverings or masks not intended for athletic purposes; this means avoiding contact with others while you work out.

Public Health and county partners are planning on ways to safely open cooling centers if the need arises.

Cooling Off in Your Pool? Always Practice Water Safety.

With the weather heating up and beaches temporarily closed due to the Safer At Home Order, residents cooling off in their pools are reminded to always practice water safety.
 
Here are tips from the American Red Cross:

• Always swim with a buddy.
• Install and use barriers around your home pool.
• Keep toys not in use away from the pool and out of sight.
• Actively supervise children whenever around the water.
• Reach or throw aid to distressed swimmers – don’t go!

5 Skills to Save Your Life in the Water

1. Step or jump into the water over your head.
2. Return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute.
3. Turn around in a full circle and find an exit.
4. Swim 25 yards to the exit without stopping.
5. Exit from the water. If in a pool, be able to exit without using the ladder.

For more resources, visit redcross.org/watersafety

L.A. County Department of Animal Care and Control Waives Adoption Fees for All Animals

The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) is currently waiving adoption fees at all seven animal care centers in an effort to quickly place animals in homes during the COVID-19 crisis. The fee waived adoptions are possible thanks to an $80,000 grant DACC was awarded from the Petco Foundation to support life-saving efforts for Los Angeles County animals. 
 
In addition to the fee waived adoptions, the Petco Foundation investment will enable DACC to undertake a variety of other lifesaving measures including purchasing necessary medical equipment and partnering with veterinary partners to provide pets in DACC care extensive medical treatment beyond the regular capacity of our medical program.
 
Those in LA County wishing to adopt must first make an appointment to visit their local care center by going to animalcare.lacounty.gov. 

Governor Newsom Announces Additional Relief for Californians Impacted by COVID-19

Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that most private student loan servicers have agreed to provide payment and other relief to borrowers, including more than 1.1 million Californians with privately held student loans. He also signed an executive order to stop debt collectors from garnishing COVID-19-related financial assistance. 

The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided much-needed relief for students with federal loans, including the suspension of monthly payments, interest, and involuntary collection activity until September 30, 2020. However, the CARES Act did not address millions of student loan borrowers with federal loans that are not owned by the U.S. government as well as loans made by private lenders. The initiative announced today gives direct help to those borrowers.

Read the full announcement at https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/04/23/governor-newsom-announces-additional-relief-for-californians-impacted-by-covid-19/

Governor Newsom Launches #CaliforniansForAll Service Initiative

With COVID-19 creating a critical need for community support and volunteers across the state, Governor Gavin Newsom has announced California Volunteers’ #CaliforniansForAll service initiative to connect Californians with safe volunteer opportunities and encourage those unable to physically volunteer to think creatively about ways to make a difference in their communities.

#CaliforniansForAll unites organizations in desperate need of volunteers with Californians looking to serve and share their commitment to their neighbors, while ensuring stay-at-home and physical distancing protocols are met. The initiative will focus on recruiting younger Californians to help the most vulnerable throughout the state, including the elderly who are at higher risk of infection.

Californians are encouraged to join #CaliforniansForAll by signing up at californiansforall.ca.gov.

Read the full announcement at https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/04/21/governor-gavin-newsom-launches-californiansforall-service-initiative/

Reminder: Parks, Beaches and Nature Preserve CLOSED

The City would like to remind residents that all City parks, beaches and open space areas, including the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, remain closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

City staff, Park Rangers and law enforcement are monitoring these areas.

These closures follow county and state guidance, along with similar closures by other cities, and were put in place March 23 after a weekend that saw a high volume of visitors despite the “Safer at Home” Order and physical distancing guidelines.

Please know that these closures are temporary. The more we all stay home except for essential needs and stick to walking in our neighborhoods, the sooner we will get through this and reopen the open space areas.

We’re all in this together, RPV. We will get through this together and resume our routines, but we need everyone to do their part to get us through sooner.

For a full list of closures, visit: bit.ly/2UexWwo

Other Closures

For a list of school, library, transit and other local closures, visit the Closure Information page on the City’s coronavirus webpage.

Open for Business

Need a list of Peninsula restaurants that are serving takeout and delivery? Or updated grocery store hours? Check out the Open for Business tab on the City’s coronavirus webpage. If you would like to add your business to this page or provide updated information, please email slee@rpvca.gov.

City Hall Closed

As a reminder, to reduce the risk of community spread of COVID-19, through at least May 15, City Hall and park buildings are closed to the public, and all recreational activities, classes and events at City facilities have been canceled. The City will primarily be providing essential city services that are necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of our community and City employees. To facilitate these measures, all non-essential staff will be working remotely. Inquiries will be reviewed daily and will be responded to on a case-by-case basis. Please note that our response to your inquiry could be delayed.

Community Development Department applications and permit requests may be submitted to planning@rpvca.gov. 

Non-emergency service requests may be submitted at http://www.rpvca.gov/FormCenter/NonEmergency-Customer-Service-Requests-3/NonEmergency-Customer-Service-Requests-43. 

Public Works service requests may be submitted at https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/6d13530e7ca84edbb5c4e022bdc54da8. 
 
Please visit the appropriate department page on the City website for a list of phone numbers and email addresses to accommodate your needs:
 
City Manager
City Clerk
Community Development
Finance
Human Resources
Public Works
Recreation, Parks & Open Space
RPVtv
 
Overall Staff Directory

Resources

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about the novel coronavirus.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health: publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus
California Department of Public Health: cdph.ca.gov/covid19 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): cdc.gov/COVID19
World Health Organization: who.int/coronavirus
California Governor’s Office: covid19.ca.gov
County of Los Angeles: lacounty.gov/covid19
L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1
FEMA Coronavirus Rumor Control: https://www.fema.gov/Coronavirus-Rumor-Control
 
Sign up for “Notify Me” city listervs at rpvca.gov/notify

Be sure to also follow the City on Nextdoor, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 
 
Sign up for emergency alerts from Alert SouthBay by:

• Texting “alertsb” to 888-777, which returns a link to register for Everbridge (for COVID-19-related alerts, text the keyword "cv19rpv")
• Registering online at alertsouthbay.com
• Downloading the free Everbridge app on an iOS or Android device from the App Store or Google Play. Select “Find an organization or subscription” and search “alertsb”

Sign up for emergency alerts from Alert LA County at https://lacounty.gov/emergency/alert-la/ 

The City Council is committed to keeping you informed on this ever-changing situation, and thanks you for your cooperation and support. The City reminds all residents that closures and cancellations announced by the City and other agencies and institutions are being implemented because public health officials advise that physical distancing is the best and most effective tool to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.