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

Last night, the City thanked our local sheriff’s deputies and supported one of our restaurants by donating pasta dinner from Avenue Italy to the Lomita Sheriff's Station.

Mayor John Cruikshank, Councilman Dave Bradley and City Manager Ara Mihranian joined Capt. James Powers and our local deputies for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund’s 32nd Annual Candlelight Vigil honoring those who have died in the line of duty.

We thank our first responders for keeping us safe and putting their lives at risk every day, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we honor the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Today, the City showed our gratitude to RPV’s grocery workers and supported one of our restaurants by donating lunch to the staff of both Trader Joe’s in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Mayor Pro Tem Eric Alegria and City Manager Ara Mihranian brought sandwiches from Yellow Vase at the Golden Cove Shopping Center to thank these frontline workers, who are playing a vital role in getting our community through this pandemic. Thank you to these hardworking personnel, who should always be treated with kindness.

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

PVP Chamber First-Ever Virtual Sidewalk Sale May 15-17

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce is holding its first-ever virtual sidewalk sale this Friday, May 15 through Sunday, May 17! We encourage you to shop local now, more than ever, and please encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same. Browse the Virtual Sidewalk Sale at conta.cc/2AsaDYr

L.A. County Issues New, Indefinite ‘Safer at Home’ Order, Allowing More Lower-Risk Businesses, Select Recreational Facilities and Beaches to Reopen

On May 13, county officials issued a new, indefinite “Safer at Home” Health Officer Order that replaces the previous Health Officer Order and allows for lower-risk businesses and select recreational facilities and beaches to reopen.

All retailers that are not located in an indoor mall or shopping center are able to reopen for curbside, door-side, outside pickup, or delivery only. The public is not allowed to go inside. Manufacturing and logistic businesses that supply retail businesses may also reopen. Before retail businesses, manufacturing and logistic businesses reopen, they are required to prepare, implement and post their plan for adhering to directives including distancing and infection control practices that protect both employees and customers.

Beaches can reopen for active recreation including running, walking, swimming and surfing. However, group sports and activities like picnicking and sunbathing are not permitted, and parking lots, bike paths, piers, and boardwalks, remain closed. Select recreational facilities including golf courses, tennis courts, shooting and archery ranges, equestrian centers and community gardens can also reopen.

Everyone must continue to practice physical distancing of at least six feet apart and wear a clean cloth face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when around people outside of your household. This Order continues to require that specific higher-risk businesses remain closed and prohibits public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit.

The Department of Public Health will assess the activities allowed by this Order on an ongoing basis and modify this Order as appropriate. Currently, L.A. County is in stage two of the five-stage Roadmap to Recovery and until the final stage five is reached, Health Officer Orders and directives will continue to ensure that we slow spread of COVID-19 to prevent an overwhelming surge of COVID-19 cases at healthcare facilities.

Read the new "Safer at Home" Order (PDF)
Read the Protocol for Social Distancing (PDF)
Read the Reopening Protocol for Warehousing, Manufacturing and Logistic Establishments (PDF)
Read the Protocols for Retail Establishments Opening for Curbside Pickup (PDF)

Be Part of RPVtv’s #RPVTogether PSA

The City invites residents to join us in thanking all of our frontline workers, as well as community members who have stepped up to help our neighbors in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Share your photo, video or message of gratitude on social media with the hashtag #RPVTogether to be included in a special community public service announcement that will air on RPVtv. Submissions may also be emailed to mbarnes@rpvca.gov.

We are all in this together, RPV.

Cases

As of May 14, there are 35,329 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 76 cases in Rancho Palos Verdes, 40 in Palos Verdes Estates, 13 in Rolling Hills Estates and two in Rolling Hills. Countywide, 1,709 people have died.

According to the Department of Public Health, 10 deaths have been reported in Rancho Palos Verdes. The City extends its deepest condolences to the families of these residents.

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

For an interactive dashboard with maps and graphs showing testing, cases and death data by community, poverty level, age, sex and race/ethnicity visit: http://dashboard.publichealth.lacounty.gov/covid19_surveillance_dashboard/

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.

Board of Supervisors Extends and Expands Eviction Moratorium

This week, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors extended the current eviction moratorium through June 30, 2020, and it may be extended by the Board of Supervisors on a month-to-month basis.

The moratorium was also updated to clarify that commercial protections are intended for small businesses. Multi-national companies and publicly traded businesses are exempt from the County’s emergency tenant protection policies.

In March, the Board of Supervisors put in place an eviction moratorium which prevents both residential and commercial tenants in Los Angeles County from being evicted for not paying their rent, for no-fault reasons, and other violations related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you have questions about the moratorium, call (833) 223-RENT (7368), email rent@dcba.lacounty.gov, or visit rent.lacounty.gov

Thunderbirds to Salute California COVID-19 Responders May 15

The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, will honor frontline COVID-19 responders and essential workers with formation flights over San Diego and Los Angeles May 15.

A formation of 6 F-16C/D Fighting Falcons will conduct these flyovers as salute to healthcare workers, first responders, military, and other essential personnel while standing in solidarity with all Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Residents along the flight path can expect a few moments of jet noise as the aircraft pass overhead, along with the sight of 6 high-performance aircraft flying in precise formation.
Flyovers in San Diego will start at noon (PDT) and last approximately 15 minutes.

(Updated) Flyovers in Los Angeles will start at 1:35 P.M. (PDT) and last approximately 30 minutes.

Residents in these areas will be able to see the flyover from the safety of their home- quarantine and should maintain all social distancing guidelines during this event. They should also refrain from traveling to landmarks, hospitals and gathering in large groups to view the flyover.

The team welcomes viewers to tag the flyover on social media with the hashtag #AmericaStrong and #Thunderbirds.

For photos and video for Operation America Strong, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/americastrong

For more information on the Thunderbirds, visit www.afthunderbirds.com.

Cal OES Announces Departure of USNS Mercy Hospital Ship from the Port of Los Angeles

Having successfully decompressed the health care delivery system in the Los Angeles region in response to COVID-19, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), in partnership with the U.S. Navy and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that the USNS Mercy Hospital Ship will depart the Port of Los Angeles tomorrow, May 15, 2020.

While the vessel will depart to return to its home port in San Diego, medical personnel from the ship will remain in the Los Angeles region to support California's response requirements.

These crew members continuing their mission within the state include:

Four, 6-member medical support teams to be deployed as needed within the region for critical needs including skilled nursing facilities.
Forty medical staffers will remain at the state operated alternative care site established at Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa.

While announcing the Mercy's departure, state officials thanked the federal government for their support and partnership in providing the ship to aid California.

Closure Information

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 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.