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

Have a Spooktacular Halloween!

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes wishes you a safe and spooky Halloween!

If you get together to celebrate, do it outdoors and briefly, with masks and distance. Remember, indoor gatherings with people you don’t live with, carnivals and haunted house attractions are not permitted. The L.A. County Department of Public Health does not recommend door-to-door or car-to-car trick-or-treating because proper social distancing is difficult to maintain and sharing food is risky.

For tips on how to celebrate while minimizing your risk of developing COVID-19 (such as an online pumpkin carving or costume contest, or a car parade), check out Public Health’s Halloween Guidance.

Vote Early and Safely

Voters can safely cast their ballots in person at any Vote Center in L.A. County starting tomorrow, October 30. Avoid lines and crowds and make your voice heard early!

Please note that Hesse Park and Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall will NOT be polling places. Find a list of Voter Centers on the Palos Verdes Peninsula at rpvca.gov.

All Vote Centers will follow state and county public health and safety guidelines, such as:

Voters wearing facial coverings and gloves (coverings and gloves will be made available if needed)
Wiping and sanitizing all surfaces and Ballot Marking Devices after each voter
Social distancing of 6 feet
Election Workers wearing protective gloves and masks

Speed up your check-in by having an election worker scan your Quick Check-in Code. Get your code by entering your personal information at lavote.net/vrstatus, or find the code printed on your mailed sample ballot or Vote Center postcard.

You can also save time and limit physical contact by marking your Interactive Sample Ballot ahead of time on a personal device and generating a Poll Pass that can be scanned at any Vote Center. To access your Interactive Sample Ballot, visit isb.lavote.net.

And remember, voting by mail is the safest voting option during the pandemic. You can drop your ballot in your mailbox, at any Vote Center, or at any of the 400 official Vote by Mail Drop Boxes in L.A. County (including the drop box outside RPV City Hall) through 8 p.m. on November 3. Keep your community healthy, vote early and vote safely! Make your plan to vote at plan.lavote.net.

PVPUSD Applies for Waiver for In-Person Instruction; Creates COVID-19 Case Dashboard

Last week, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District announced it submitted an application for a waiver for in-person instruction for grades TK-2. Read the announcement and other updates at https://www.pvpusd.net/apps/news/article/1324024.

In an effort to provide accurate and transparent information regarding COVID-19 cases on PVPUSD campuses while also maintaining privacy and confidentiality for students and staff, today, the district debuted a PVPUSD COVID-19 Dashboard for confirmed positive cases among district students and staff. The data shared on the dashboard will be updated regularly as COVID-19 positive cases are confirmed at campuses for in-person instruction only. The data for a positive case will be removed from the dashboard when the individual is cleared to return to campus.

To access the dashboard, please visit www.pvpusd.net/dashboard

Health Officer Order Updated to Allow Reopening of Indoor Personal Care Services, Bring More Students Back to School

Last week, the L.A. County Department Public Health updated its Health Officer Order to allow for the reopenings of additional personal care services indoors with modifications (in addition to hair salons and nail salons), as well as outdoor operations at go-carts, mini-golf and batting cages. In addition, the percentage of high-needs students permitted at a school campus for on-site learning has been increased from 10% to 25%, allowing more students to return for in-person instruction and services. Public Health also modified the Health Officer Order for breweries and wineries; reservations are no longer required at these establishments, though they are strongly recommended. In addition, wine tastings for retail sales no longer require a meal to be served.

Where L.A. County Stands

The county’s daily case numbers continue to keep us in the state’s most restrictive purple tier (Tier 1) in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Currently, L.A. County's adjusted case rate is 8.0 new cases per 100,000 people. This is an increase from the 7.6 adjusted case rate reported last week. In order to move to the next less restrictive tier, the county must reduce its daily number of new cases to 7 or fewer new cases per 100,000 people for two consecutive weeks.

The county's overall test positivity rate is 3.7%, which meets the threshold for Tier 3 and the test positivity rate in our lowest-resourced areas is 6.2%, which meets the threshold for Tier 2.

How long do symptoms appear after infection with COVID-19 versus the flu?

The CDC states that for both COVID-19 and the flu, one or more days can pass between a person becoming infected and when he or she starts to experience symptoms of illness. For flu, typically, a person develops symptoms anywhere from 1-4 days after infection. For COVID-19, typically, a person develops symptoms after five days, but symptoms can appear as early as two days after infection or as late as 14 days after infection, and the time range can vary.

For more information from the Beach Cities Health District on flu and COVID-19 differences, visit www.bchd.org/flucoviddifference

Don't Miss the Virtual Día de los Muertos Mini Altar Workshop November 1!

Looking for a fun and creative activity to do with your kids this weekend? Sign up for the Virtual Día de los Muertos Mini Altar Workshop this Sunday, November 1, from 10 am – 12 pm!

Learn about the tradition of Día de los Muertos and make your own mini altar to celebrate a loved one who has passed away. Reuse a shoebox from home, obtain a 2 x 3 inch copy of a photo of a loved one, and use the craft materials in the supply kit (provided). Space in this family-friendly workshop is limited, so register today at apm.activecommunities.com/rpv. Cost: $10. See flyer at: bit.ly/2I3KnY0

Reminder: Space Open in After School Recreational Enrichment Program

Registration is currently open for the After School Recreational Enrichment Program offered by the San Pedro & Peninsula YMCA and the City at Hesse Park! The after school program for grades K-5 takes place from 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday from through December 18. This program is 100% outdoors and features activities covering science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM), individual conditioning physical exercise, enrichment, and much more, all designed to maintain physical distancing and follow Los Angeles County Department of Public Health protocols. Fees are $100 per week, per child. Registration remains open.

? For more information and to register for the After School Recreational Enrichment Program, visit bit.ly/3jg58gA or ymcala.org. Download a program flyer at: bit.ly/3gunjxl

If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in programs, services, activities and meetings, contact the City's ADA Coordinator/Risk Manager at 310-683-3157, adarequests@rpvca.gov, 30940 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275, at least 48 hours in advance to request an auxiliary aid or accommodation.

Scarecrow Decorating Contest Entries on Display through November 1

Yesterday, the City announced the winners of the Scarecrow Decorating Contest:

Most Creative: Palos Verdes Scarecrow by Henry
Most Festive: Spider Queen by the Wang Family
Best in Show: May and Scarecrow Reed by the Dreyer Family

Honorable mentions went to Pirate Jerry by the Denny Family, and Casual Joe by the Castro Family.

Congratulations to all our winners and thanks to everyone who made the contest a success (especially our prize donors, Big Nick’s Pizza and the Great American International Seafood Market)!

If you haven’t had a chance to see the scarecrows in person, they will be on display outside City Hall at 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard through Sunday, November 1. Drive by and take a look anytime between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Letter From Dr. Ferrer

On October 28, the City received a response from L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer to an October 6 letter from RPV Mayor John Cruikshank urging state and county officials to reassess reopening guidelines so that more businesses, more classrooms and places of worship can operate indoors in a manner that is safe and responsible. Dr. Ferrer expressed an understanding of the City’s desire to move as its own pace given the size and diversity of L.A. County, but noted that although a low case count in one community may appear to indicate that there is a lower risk of exposure there, people could be getting exposed elsewhere, such as in the workplace. Read Dr. Ferrer’s letter on the city website.

ICYMI: Prepared Peninsula Expo

In case you missed the Virtual Prepared Peninsula Expo last weekend, you can watch a recording online at bit.ly/35Ami32.

Residents are encouraged to take time to watch the recording to learn how to best prepare themselves and their family for the event of an earthquake, wildfire or other disaster. Speakers included: Frank Forman, battalion chief with the Los Angeles County Fire Department; James Powers, captain of the Lomita Sheriff’s Station; and Soraya Sutherlin, regional emergency communications manager for Alert SouthBay.

The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need to always be ready for an emergency.

The sixth annual Prepared Peninsula Expo took place virtually on October 25. The expo is a local resource to the Palos Verdes Peninsula and is sponsored by the cities of Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates.

PVPUSD Fall Parent Education Series Returns November 4

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District and South Bay Families Connected invite parents to attend a virtual Fall Parent Education Series with Dr. Moe Gelbart. The next event in the series will take place November 4 at 9 a.m. and is titled “Teens, Stress and Anxiety: How Parents Can Help.” All events will be live-streamed and recorded, and information will be posted on pvpusd.net prior to each event.

For additional online youth wellness resources, including resources to support youths during distance learning, please visit southbayfamiliesconnected.org/pvpusd.

Application Window Reopens for Grants of up to $25,000 for Small Businesses

This week, applications for the sixth round of funding from the L.A. Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund opened for small businesses, nonprofits and micro-entrepreneurs facing unprecedented health and economic challenges due to COVID-19. Applications may be submitted for the sixth round of funding by October 30.

The L.A. Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund aims to distribute: 1) $5,000 grants to micro-entrepreneurs and 2) $15,000-$25,000 grants to non-profits and small businesses. Grants will be distributed through an equitable lottery system, to ensure equitable access to capital across various demographics in the Los Angeles region.

Register for an upcoming webinar to learn more about eligibility and deadlines at lacovidfund.org/events.

Access a full list of local partners providing technical assistance by visiting the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund website. For more information, visit lacovidfund.org.

Palos Verdes Estates Blood Drive October 30

The City of Palos Verdes Estates is hosting a blood drive on Friday, October 30 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the PVE Police Station at 340 Palos Verdes Drive West.
Appointments can be made online at ucedonor.com (click on “Blood Drives” and enter “COPVE” in the Account Code box), or by phone at 310-825-0888 X 2.

Eligible donors will receive a promotional item. COVID-19 antibody testing with select blood donations.

Cases

As of October 29, there are 305,070 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Los Angeles County (population 10.17 million), 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 346 cases in Rancho Palos Verdes (population 41,731), 111 in Palos Verdes Estates (population 13,190), 49 in Rolling Hills Estates (population 8,066), 12 in Rolling Hills (population 1,874), and 12 in the unincorporated areas of the Peninsula. Countywide, 7,044 people have died.

According to the Department of Public Health, 13 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.

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/