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

L.A. County Moves into Phase 2 of Recovery

Today, the County of Los Angeles moved into Phase II of Recovery with the conditional and limited re-opening of certain lower-risk retail businesses and public spaces. The order allows certain lower-risk retail businesses to re-open for sales and service transactions made via curbside pick-up or delivery only in a car or as a pedestrian. This includes:

• Bookstores
• Florists
• Toy stores
• Music stores
• Clothing stores
• Sporting goods stores
• Car dealership showrooms

To read the Safer at Home Order Addendum #2, please visit: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/docs/HOO/COVID-19_HOO_Addendum_Reopen_Certain_Lower_Risk_Retail_Golf_Courses_Public_Spaces_LACDPH_FINAL_20200508.pdf
 
All business must comply with the Department of Public Health Reopening Requirements, which can be found at http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/docs/protocols/Reopening-Retail.pdf
 
Please remember that you truly are safer at home. The COVID-19 threat is still present, and the risk to our communities remains high. Every single one of us has a critical role to play in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Remember to follow physical distancing requirements and wear a face covering whenever you are in close contact with others.*
 
*Exception: Children under the age of two and individuals with chronic respiratory conditions or other medical conditions that make use of a face mask hazardous are exempted from this requirement.
 
Local Authority: What Local Government Can Do
 
All cities MUST comply with the state and county orders related to the conditional re-opening of businesses. While we hear your frustrations and understand your concerns, the easing of restrictions to non-essential businesses is determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The City can implement more stringent orders based on regional concerns; however, it cannot implement anything less stringent than what the Health Officer’s Orders address.

Reminder: RPV Trails and Beaches Remain Temporarily Closed

Although some county trails will reopen on Saturday, May 9, please note that all trails in Rancho Palos Verdes, including the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, are not managed by Los Angeles County and will not be ready for reopening on this date.

The City is finalizing a comprehensive reopening plan addressing public safety and maintenance actions for our trails and beaches, and our goal is to open as soon as possible in the days to come. Please check trails.rpvca.gov for updates on the opening date. 

The following six City parks are open in a limited capacity (turf and walking paths only, with physical distancing required): Hesse Park, Ryan Park, Vanderlip Park, Ladera Linda Park, Upper Point Vicente Park/Civic Center, and Eastview Park. 

Thank you for your patience, RPV.

Upper Point Vicente Park Added to the Partially Reopened Parks

To provide residents with access to park space during the “Safer at Home” Order, at this time, the City has partially reopened six neighborhood parks. Only turf areas and walking paths are open in the following parks:

• Eastview Park (excluding the dog park)
• Frank A. Vanderlip Park
• Fred Hesse, Jr. Community Park
• Ladera Linda Park
• Robert E. Ryan Community Park
• Upper Point Vicente Park (excluding the Rancho Caninos Dog Park)

• Parking lots, restrooms, playgrounds, dog parks, basketball and tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields.
• Beaches, open space areas, the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, and trails

• Active sports or organized activities
• Group gatherings or activities

The City is considering a comprehensive reopening plan of more of its parks and open space area, including the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, over the coming days that is managed and responsible. To that point, the City recognizes the health and well-being of our residents and employees as a top priority, and is committed to keeping them safe. We urge all residents to follow the “Safer at Home” Order and only leave their homes for essential activities. We also urge the public to diligently practice physical distancing, as it is the most effective tool we have to fight this pandemic. We all must do our part to “flatten the curve.”

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 8, there are 30,296 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 75 cases in Rancho Palos Verdes, 40 in Palos Verdes Estates, 13 in Rolling Hills Estates and two in Rolling Hills. Countywide, 1,468 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.

L.A. County to Launch ‘Great Plates Delivered’ Initiative

Today, the County of Los Angeles announced participation in the State of California’s ‘Great Plates Delivered’ initiative. L.A. County will provide three home-delivered meals a day to qualifying older adults and adults over 60 who are high-risk as determined by the CDC, while also stimulating the economy by bringing employees back to work from the restaurant, hospitality, and transportation industries.

Individual participants may apply for ‘Great Plates Delivered’ by calling 2-1-1. To be eligible for participation, individuals must meet requirements including age, inability to prepare or obtain meals, and not currently receiving assistance from other state or federal nutrition assistance programs. For a full list of requirements, visit https://wdacs.lacounty.gov/greatplates/

Restaurants interested in participating in the ‘Great Plates Delivered’ program should fill out an interest form at https://state-of-california-agency.forms.fm/great-plates-delivered-food-provider-interest-form/forms/7917.

Food providers will be selected based on factors that include their ability to meet volume and nutritional standards, and prioritize local jobs, worker retention, worker health and safety, and standards of equity and fairness in employment practices. The County is finalizing additional criteria, which will be posted at https://wdacs.lacounty.gov/greatplates/ in the days ahead.  

L.A. County Adds Drive-Up COVID-19 Testing Site in Hawthorne

L.A. County has added another drive-up mobile COVID-19 testing location in the South Bay at Hawthorne Memorial Center - Betty Ainsworth Sports Center (3851 W El Segundo Blvd, Hawthorne, CA 90250)

Testing is by appointment only and registration is now open. While anyone can sign up for a test, prioritization will align with all L.A. County testing sites, including those who are symptomatic as well as those who are asymptomatic and in institutional settings, over the age of 65, have a chronic medical condition, or are an essential worker. Anyone can sign up for an appointment, regardless of insurance or immigration status. Individuals will not be charged at any test sites.

For more information, visit https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing. To schedule a test, visit https://lacovidprod.service-now.com/rrs

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.

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.