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

RPVtv’s “City Talk”

In the latest edition of RPVtv’s “City Talk” host Liz Brown Swanson has a virtual conversation with Mayor John Cruikshank about the City's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on the community, and other issues before the City Council, including Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget talks.

The episode will air daily on Cox 33/Frontier FiOS 38 and can be viewed on RPVtv's YouTube channel at youtu.be/iiubA41L67U

Cases

As of April 27, there are 20,417 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 52 cases in Rancho Palos Verdes, 37 in Palos Verdes Estates, 13 in Rolling Hills Estates and one in Rolling Hills. Countywide, 942 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.

How to Cover Up Properly

Under the Safer at Home order, you must wear a cloth face covering anytime you're in close proximity to people outside of your household: like at the market, pharmacy, your essential job and on public transportation. Here are some tips for properly wearing and caring for your face covering.

Before putting on face covers, wash or sanitize your hands.
When putting on face covers, make sure it fully covers your nose and mouth.
While wearing face covers, avoid touching any part of your face.
While wearing face covers, do not pull down at any time.
Before taking off face covers, wash or sanitize your hands.
When done using face covers, fold OR store in a paper bag.
Machine wash face covers daily.
Discard face covers that do not cover nose/mouth OR have holes/tears.
Help children properly remove face covers.
And remember, cloth face coverings are NOT substitutes for staying home, washing your hands frequently, and maintaining physical distance.

Census Response Rate Challenge

Have you completed your 2020 Census? Responses to the census shape decisions about how billions of dollars in federal funds flow into communities each year for the next 10 years for critical services, including health care, emergency response, schools and education programs, and roads and bridges. The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of census data and census participation.

As of April 26, Rancho Palos Verdes has a 67.5% self-response rate, 12.7% higher than the state’s average self-response rate and 14.1% higher than the national average. RPV and Palos Verdes Estates are currently tied for the highest response rate of the Peninsula cities.

Help us become the first city in the state to reach a 100% self-response rate! See the response rate for yourself at tabsoft.co/3ajQCPR

Complete your census today by mail, by phone at 844-330-2020 or online at 2020census.gov

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

PVP Chamber Weekly Business Series: Ask the Expert - COVID 19 Pandemic

On April 23, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce featured Dr. Lawrence Sher of Palos Verdes Medical Group and Peninsula Research Associates as part of its Weekly Business Series.

A recording of the session is available at youtu.be/XK_S7YBgVlU

Enjoy Parks from Home with L.A. County Parks' Virtual Recreation Center

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (L.A. County Parks) has launched Parks From Home, a virtual recreation center to provide free access to fitness and instructional classes for the public to enjoy from home during the COVID-19 crisis.

The free online programming includes videos of L.A. County Parks staff teaching recreation, sports, arts, and specialty courses, plus virtual tours of trails, gardens, and popular attractions throughout Los Angeles County.

L.A. County Parks is committed to continuing to provide healthy and resilient communities by bringing much-needed resources right to our residents' homes. Now more than ever, access to healthy opportunities and creating calm spaces to maintain mental wellness, in a matter that supports social distancing is paramount.

L.A. County Parks will continue to add additional online programming to provide a positive outlet and fill the gap of outdoor experiences for all Los Angeles County residents during the Safer At Home order.

Parks from Home is available for free on the L.A. County Parks website and YouTube channel. New video content will be added regularly and announced via social media @lacountyparks.

Parks From Home webpage: parks.lacounty.gov/virtual
L.A. County Parks on YouTube: youtube.com/lacountyparks

Now Available: Special Enrollment Period for Health Care Coverage due to COVID-19

Have you lost your health insurance due to COVID-19? If you've recently lost your coverage or will soon lose it, Covered California has issued a special-enrollment period for those impacted by income changes, reduced hours or lay off due to COVID-19.

If the following circumstances apply to you, you may be eligible for health care coverage through Covered CA:

You've lost Medi-Cal coverage
You've lost your employer-sponsored coverage
Your COBRA coverage is exhausted
You are no longer eligible for student health coverage

To learn if you're eligible, visit apply.coveredca.com To apply, you may apply online or call a Covered CA Certified Insurance Agent or Navigator for free and confidential enrollment help.

Those without access to the Internet can call Covered CA's Service Center at 1-800-300-1506 for assistance with determining eligibility and/or applying for health care coverage.

If you're not eligible for Covered CA health coverage, you may be eligible for health insurance through L.A. County's My Health LA (MHLA). MHLA is a no-cost health care program for individuals or families who do not have and cannot get health insurance. For assistance over the phone with MHLA, call 1-844-744-6452 from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM (Monday through Friday).

DMV Offers Relief to ID Cardholders, Vehicle Owners and Businesses

The California Department of Motor Vehicles announced it is waiving late fees and penalties for vehicle registration, extending expiring identification cards, temporary operating permits and motor carrier permits.

With authority granted under the April 23 executive order signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, the DMV is:

Waiving late fees and penalties for vehicle registration renewals due between March 16 and May 31, 2020, and paid within 60 days of the original expiration date. The requirement to have current license plate stickers is also waived for vehicles with registration expiring between March 4 and June 30, 2020.
Extending identification cards expiring on or after March 4, 2020, to be valid through June 22, 2020 (60 days from April 23).
Temporarily suspending for 60 days the requirement to submit a transfer of ownership within 10 days for vehicle transfers occurring on or after March 4, 2020, and the requirement to register a vehicle acquired or previously based outside of California within 20 days once registration becomes due.
Allowing temporary operating permits that expire on or after March 4, 2020, to be valid another 60 days from April 23.
Lengthening motor carrier permits expiring in March, April and May 2020 to June 30, 2020. A motor carrier permit is required for numerous transportation and commercial activities in California, including transporting property for compensation, hauling with a commercial vehicle weighing more than 10,000 pounds, and transporting hazardous materials.

Read the full announcement at https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/newsrel/2020/2020_18

Local Volunteer Match

Join PVPUSD School Board Member Linda Reid’s local volunteer match effort during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 40 volunteers have been linked with 100 isolated seniors needing help with grocery shopping and other errands.

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.

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 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.