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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem No. 06 Continued Existence of a Local Emergency (COVID-19)City Council Agenda Report City of Lake Elsinore 130 South Main Street Lake Elsinore, CA 92530 www.lake-elsinore.org File Number: TMP 21-032 Agenda Date: 6/22/2021 Status: PassedVersion: 1 File Type: Council Consent Calendar In Control: City Council / Successor Agency Agenda Number: 6) Continued Existence of a Local Emergency (COVID-19) Find the need to continue the local emergency related to COVID -19 consistent with the findings and proclamations set forth in Resolution No. 2020-18 and Resolution No. 2020-52. Page 1 City of Lake Elsinore Printed on 12/29/2023 REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council From: Jason Simpson, Acting City Manager Date: June 22, 2021 Subject: Continued Existence of a Local Emergency (COVID-19) Recommendation 1. Find the need to continue the local emergency related to COVID-19 consistent with the findings and proclamations set forth in Resolutions No. 2020-18 and No. 2020-52; and 2. Direct staff to pursue available County, State, or Federal government disaster assistance based on the continued declaration of a local emergency; and 3. Continue activation and implementation of the emergency operations plan's response and recovery which authorizes the City to furnish or receive aid and assistance under existing mutual aid agreements. Background The Governor of California proclaimed a State of Emergency on March 4 , 2020, due to the introduction of COVID-19 in the State of California. On March 8, 2020, the Riverside County Public Health Officer declared a local health emergency based on an imminent and proximate threat to public health from the introduction of COVID -19 in Riverside County, which declaration was ratified by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors on March 10, 2020. On March 17, 2020, the City Manager , in his capacity as Disaster D irector, proclaimed a local emergency throughout the City of Lake Elsinore , finding that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property existed in the City related to the COVID -19 outbreak and that efforts required to prepare for, respon d to, mitigate and recover from the increasing spread of COVID-19 imposed extraordinary demands which exceed the City's resources and are beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of the City. On March 24, 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2020 -18 Ratifying The Proclamation Of Local Emergency And Proclaiming The Existence Of A Local Emergency (COVID-19), and on June 9, 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2020 -52 finding and proclaiming the continued exis tence of a local emergency (COVID -19). Under the State’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” every county in California is assigned to a tier based on its test positivity and adjusted case rate. Due to increasing vaccination rates and falling transmission rates, California is moving Beyond the Blueprint to reopen the economy. Continued Local Emergency June 22, 2021 Page 2 Discussion The City of Lake Elsinore is subject to State and County public health orders that restrict and/or impose guidelines to conduct certain activities. These restrictions apply regardless of the City’s proclamation of a local emergency. However, the declaration of a local emergency provides a legal basis for requesting and obtaining County, State, or Federal government disaster assistance. The declaration also activates the emergency operations plan's response and recovery aspects and authorizes the City to furnish or receive aid and assistance under existing mutual aid agreements. Following the adoption by the City Council of the Proclamation of Local Emergency, State law and the Lake Elsinore Municipal Code require the City Council to periodically review the necessity for continuing the local emergency until the emergency is terminated. The City Council found the continued local emergency existed at is April 27, 2021 meeting. Since that time, Riverside transitioned from the “Moderate (Orange) Tier” to the “Minimal (Yellow) Tier.” While key metrics continue to trend downward in California, the public health impacts of COVID- 19 have been significant and remain a public health concern. As of June 16, 2021, California reported 3.81 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in 63,223 deaths. As of June 16, 2021, the County of Riverside reported 301,482 confirmed cases and 4,624 deaths in the County and 7,417 confirmed cases and 77 deaths in the City of Lake Elsinore. As of June 15, 2021, Governor Newsom terminated the executive orders that put into place the Stay Home Order and the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. He also phased out many of executive actions put in place since March 2020 as part of the pandemic response, leaving a subset of provisions that facilitate the ongoing recovery. Among these provisions are the Executive Orders relating to the conduct of local governmental meetings via teleconference and virtual technology. The City will continue to monitor these issues and advise the City Council and the community as we work through the unwinding process while maintaining resources necessary to respond to changing circumstances as necessary or appropriate. As other regions in the United States and other countries do not share California’s downward trend and are experiencing increased transmissibility, increased rates of COVID-19 variants and increased numbers of cases, the State of California, County of Riverside, and the City of Lake Elsinore remain posed to monitor and respond to changing circumstances to protect the health and safety of our residents.