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

We’re Here

Although City Hall is closed for the weekend, the City Council and City staff are monitoring communications from various government agencies and the public and will continue to share information with residents. A webpage with coronavirus updates, resources and information on local closures is continuously being updated at rpvca.gov/coronavirus

Stay connected and get updates from the City by subscribing to the Breaking News listserv at rpvca.gov/notify

COVID-19 Community Updates are distributed Monday through Friday, though any major announcements over the weekend will be shared with the community.

Be sure to also follow the City on Nextdoor, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

RPV Resident Shares Story of Loss due to COVID-19

This week, the Palos Verdes Peninsula News interviewed Pat Brewster, a Rancho Palos Verdes resident whose late husband, Bob, died of complications from COVID-19 in April. Mrs. Brewster hopes opening up about her family’s tragedy will raise awareness about the deadly potential of the coronavirus and help others who are also struggling with loss due to the pandemic.

The City extends its deepest condolences to Mrs. Brewster and the families of all residents who have lost loved ones to the virus.

Read the story at: https://www.pvnews.com/news/longtime-rancho-palos-verdes-resident-copes-with-loss-of-husband-from-covid-19/article_26479452-d698-11ea-b65a-3b25afdf3105.html

Check Your Hand Sanitizer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises consumers not to use more than 100 different hand sanitizers manufactured by more than 20 companies due to low levels of ethyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol, or potential methanol contamination. 

Check the FDA’s full list at: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-hand-sanitizers-consumers-should-not-us

New Set of 3 Cs from L.A. County Department of Public Health

Compliance: Businesses must comply with Health Officer Orders and implement the strict infection control practices and distancing guidelines in place to protect the workforce and the public. Residents must continue to wear face coverings, maintain physical distancing, avoid gathering with people they don’t live with and continue washing their hands and cleaning high-touch surfaces.

Containment: Adequate testing and case investigations are critical tools to contain spread. Case interviews and contact tracing of people who are positive or exposed are isolating and quarantining must continue. Businesses and employers must do their part and alert the department to outbreaks at their work sites.

Collaboration: Collaborating across all sectors and government is imperative to ensure clear messages to the public, uninterrupted supply chains for testing supplies and personal protective equipment, and unity in strategies for re-opening with as much safety as possible.

PVPUSD Update

On August 5, Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss provided an update on school reopening plans during the Board of Education meeting. Watch Dr. Cherniss’ presentation and read public comments at bit.ly/2DllOEa

As a reminder, the L.A. County Department of Public Health announced it will not consider in-person learning waivers for schools at this time due to new guidance from the California Department of Public Health, which recommends that counties with case rates at (or above) 200 cases per 100,000 residents do not extend waivers for the reopening of classroom instruction for students in grades TK-6.

Looking for a fun outdoor activity for your kids?

National Park and Recreation Month is over, but you can still play Agents of Discovery at Hesse Park and Eastview Park! The self-guided, mobile educational game will be available at both locations through September 30.

Kids and their families can play by downloading the Agents of Discovery app to access RPV’s “missions” (games). Players that complete all the challenges will receive a gift bag from the Recreation and Parks Department!

To download the free Agents of Discovery app, go to Google Play or the App Store. Once downloaded, find our missions within the app and hit “play” before you head out. No WiFi connectivity is required to download or play the missions.

Free Virtual Art Classes for Older Adults

Discover the healing properties of art therapy with free virtual art classes for older adults presented by BlueSea Care every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Register at bit.ly/2X7doqz

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Recreation and Parks Department at 310-544-5260 or parks@rpvca.gov. 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.

New Temporary Special Use Permit for RPV Businesses

The Community Development Department has developed a new Temporary Special Use Permit (TSUP) to assist Rancho Palos Verdes businesses with the opportunity to provide limited outdoor operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. A TSUP will allow for outdoor operations on sidewalks and parking lots for: 

• Restaurants
• Fitness centers
• Hair salons and barbershops
• Personal care services, such as nail salons, massage, and tattoo parlors

A TSUP will be processed administratively without a filing fee, public notification, or appeal process that is typically required for a standard Special Use Permit. For a complete list of operational requirements and permit limitations, please see the TSUP application at bit.ly/3gcLFME. For questions regarding the application or submittal requirements, please contact the Planning Division at 310-544-5228 or send an email to the Planning Division at planning@rpvca.gov.

Cases

According to the Department of Public Health, 12 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.

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/