HomeMy WebLinkAboutDirection - Letter Concerning Governor's Orders - COVID-19AGENDA ADDENDUM
REGULAR PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL MEETING
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020
CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBER
73510 FRED WARING DRIVE, PALM DESERT, CA 92260
XIII. NEW BUSINESS
J. REQUEST FOR DIRECTION FROM THE CITY COUNCIL
REGARDING ISSUANCE OF A LETTER CONCERNING THE
GOVERNOR'S ORDERS FOR THE COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH
EMERGENCY.
Rec: Direction from City Council.
Action:
POSTED: Monday, May 11, 2020 at 11:00 a.m.
Rocha, Grace
Subject: FW: Seeking support for letter to the Governor
Attachments: image001.jpg; ATT00001.htm; image002.png; ATT00002.htm; image003.png;
ATT00003.htm; image004.png; ATT00004.htm; image005.png; ATT00005.htm; We sent
you safe versions of your files; ATT00006.htm; County -City Newsom Letter 5.9.20.doc;
ATT00007.htm
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Rodriguez, Greg L" <GRodriRu(a@rivco.org>
Date: May 9, 2020 at 12:52:31 PM PDT
To: "Rodriguez, Greg L" <GRodrigu(a@rivco.orR>
Subject: Seeking support for letter to the Governor
Mimecast Attachment Protection has deemed this file to be safe, but always exercise caution when opening files.
Good Afternoon,
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors will be sending the attached letter to the Governor.
The Supervisors are seeking our local electeds support and asking all County Mayors to sign on.
We would like to turn this around as quick as possible, but understand some of you may have to
take it to your councils. If you as a Mayor are willing to sign on please let me know.
Thanks,
Greg
Greg Rodriguez
Government Relations and Public Policy Advisor
Dear Governor Newsom,
We the County Board of Supervisors and various elected officials within the county appreciate your
consideration of our request as outlined below.
In your book Citizenville: Connecting People and Government in the Digital Age, you describe the importance
of empowering citizens to help reform and fundamentally change government; we agree. By empowering
local governments to make decisions based on information unique to local communities, we can
fundamentally change the course of this depression[headed economy.
Respectfully, and most concerning, the epidemiological benchmarks that you put forth on Thursday are
simply not attainable in any reasonable measure of time. Riverside County has responded quickly and
seriously in order to combat COVI❑-19, mandating some of the strictest public health orders in the United
States. These orders came at a cost to our economy and to the liberties of our constituents. Riverside
County citizens and businesses have accepted these orders and implemented them with a vigilance such
that it led to a quick blunting of the curve to the point where two federal medical stations, with a capacity
for 250 beds, fortunately have not been utilized. Remarkably, we have seen these successes alongside an
increase in testing capacity, with a total of 12 sites that have allowed asymptomatic individuals to be tested.
Riverside County has led the State by testing over 2% of our population.
California's diverse geographic regions offer the opportunity to measure progress in continuous stages in
various counties. While some regions may move quickly into retail, others may focus on manufacturing or
television and movie production. Each city and county can utilize their resources in a manner that provides
the best and quickest path to economic health, while at the same time, move to protect their vulnerable
populations.
The State can provide valuable guidance and information to ensure local efforts are meeting state and
federal public health targets. We all share the common goals of a robust economy and a healthy community.
However, we need your support in creating trust between the citizens and their governments.
Once again, Governor, we are asking for you to trust the local governments and their communities to do the
right thing. We know you are empowered to force mandates on local governments, but we plead with you
to practice subsidiarity, monitor our results, and provide consultation along the way.
We will get through this catastrophe together and as long as we trust each other, the other side will prove
to be more than a light at the end of the tunnel; instead, it will be an illumination of a beginning for our
Golden State.
Sincerely,