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

COVID-19 Community Updates Going Weekly

When the coronavirus public health crisis hit Los Angeles County five months ago, the City began putting out daily COVID-19 Community Updates to provide residents with the latest public health guidance, local case numbers, information on closures and community resources. Due to resident feedback and a change of pace in developments, the newsletter will be going weekly. Starting next week, COVID-19 Community Updates will be distributed on Thursdays, but any major announcements in between will be shared with the community. As always, thanks for reading, and don’t hesitate to reach out to the City for information!

If you haven’t done so already, sign up for COVID-19 Community Updates by subscribing to the Breaking News listserv at rpvca.gov/notify.

A webpage on the City website with coronavirus updates, resources and information is continuously being updated at rpvca.gov/coronavirus

And be sure to follow the City on Nextdoor, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

RPVtv Spotlights Local Businesses

In the latest virtual edition of RPVtv’s "Around the Peninsula" host Maria Serrao and Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Eileen Hupp talk with local business owners about how they plan to operate during the pandemic.

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

Beat the Heat at Home

Summer is here and many Californians are feeling the heat this week. If beaches and parks are too crowded to practice physical distancing, don’t risk it. Stay home to beat the heat.

Heat Safety Tips

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reminds everyone to take precautions to avoid heat-related illness, especially older adults, young children, outdoor workers, athletes, and people with a chronic medical condition who are especially sensitive to negative health impacts from extreme heat. Public Health offers the following recommendations during high temperature days:

Drink plenty of water and keep hydrated throughout the day.
If you must go out, plan your day to avoid going out during the hottest hours, and wear sunscreen. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothes, and bring a hat or umbrella with you.
Cars get very hot. Never leave children or pets in cars and call 911 if you see a child or pet in a car alone.
Beware of heat-related illness, like heat stroke and call 911 if you see these symptoms: high body temperature, vomiting, and pale and clammy skin.
Check on those at risk, like those who are sick, older adults, pregnant women, and children.
Avoid strenuous work outs wearing face coverings or masks not intended for athletic purposes; this means avoiding contact with others while you work out.

Ahead of New School Year, California Schools Receive Critical Funds to Support Distance Learning and Governor Newsom Signs Executive Order Directing State Agencies to Bridge Digital Divide

Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that every eligible local educational agency in California has applied for and is receiving a portion of the $5.3 billion in learning loss mitigation funds secured through the state budget he signed in June. The Governor also signed an executive order directing state agencies across government to bridge the digital divide, building on the state’s efforts to provide computing devices and hotspots to students across the state.

Read more at: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/08/14/38666

Preventing Coronavirus Transmission

Wearing a face covering is one of the best ways to slow the spread of COVID-19. Our community benefits when individuals wear their face coverings responsibly.

Are you experiencing symptoms of COVID-19?

Dr. Tasha Dixon, Family Medicine Lead Attending Physician at Los Angeles County’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center, explains why it’s important to seek medical care early in this video from the County of Los Angeles.

ICYMI: Back to School with Dr. Alex Cherniss on RPVtv

RPVtv’s Maria Serrao discusses all things back-to-school with Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss in a virtual edition of “Around the Peninsula.”

The episode will air daily on RPVtv Cox 33/Frontier FiOS 38 and can be viewed on RPVtv's YouTube channel at youtu.be/Dag1MsVKh3Ea

PVPUSD Student Town Hall August 18

Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss and the Board of Education invite intermediate and high school students to join principals and student representatives at a virtual student town hall meeting for updates and questions regarding school reopening planning on Tuesday, August 18 from 7-9 p.m. This event will be live-streamed and the public will have an opportunity to submit questions at the following link: www.pvpusd.net/students/. Questions/comments should be submitted by Monday, August 17 at 5 p.m.

Reminder: COVID-19 Rent Relief Program Opens Monday

L.A. County has announced the creation of a COVID-19 Rent Relief Program which aims to assist low-income renters who have struggled to pay their rent and/or who are behind on paying rent due to COVID-19. Those who are most at need will be targeted with more assistance. The program will launch on August 17 and close on August 31.

L.A. County's COVID-19 Rent Relief Program will be operated by the L.A. County Development Authority (LACDA), and is funded by an allocation of $100 million in CARES Act funding meant to assist between 8,000 and more than 9,000 renting households with limited means.

Requirements: the program is available to all residents of the county who qualify (with the exception of residents living in the City of Los Angeles, as the City also received its own allocation of CARES Act funds). The following is required:

A W-9
Participation agreements are needed from the property owners to receive rental income on behalf of their qualified tenant; and
Property owners must agree to the terms of the participation agreement

To learn more or apply, visit rentrelief.lacda.org or dial 2-1-1. Please note citizenship documentation will not be requested from any party (renter or property owner).

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

As of August 14, there are 218,693 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 249 cases in Rancho Palos Verdes (population 41,731), 77 in Palos Verdes Estates (population 13,190), 34 in Rolling Hills Estates (population 8,066), five in Rolling Hills (population 1,874), and seven in the unincorporated areas of the Peninsula. Countywide, 5,214 people have died.

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.

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/