HomeMy WebLinkAbout01 Res 2020-83 Public Comments Batch 2Sanchez, Gloria
From: Wood, Terry L.
Sent: Monday, December 21, 2020 7:06 PM
To: CouncilMeeting Comments
Subject: Business closures
Hello City Council and Mayor,
I have written at least two letters in the last week to you regarding the closing of our city's closing of restaurants outside
dining.
I understand you are meeting on Tuesday morning, so I am reminding you of how many of us feel about this.
Studies have shown in New York City that only 1.45 percent caught CV19 at restaurants, people were more likely to get
it from someone at their house over 45 percent of the time.
People want to know in this community of why you allowing Home Depot, Walmart, Target, and the large corporate
stores to remain open while closing smaller stores. The restaurants that could retrofit did so and many borrowed money
or used their last amount of savings to do what you asked them so they could stay open. As you know 25 percent
capacity doesn't pay the bills but they cared about their employees and wanted to keep their doors open to at least
enable them to have some kind of paycheck. When the news media and city council decides who is essential and who is
not, then we have a huge problem. Every business is essential, and there is approx. 70 businesses that have closed
permanently already in our valley. Businesses only want the chance to make a living, you and the governor are stopping
their right to work to make a living. Why can't you ban with other large cities and take a stand against Newsom, instead
of accepting what he says which is not scientific . There is no evidence per Los Angeles Health official of outside dining
causing cv19 outbreak.
My last comment is about CV19 and transmission, why are people that are wearing masks getting CV19? If you are so
scared about an uptick why are we allowing people flying into Palm Springs Airport and I see all kinds of outer state cars
in our parking lots at markets etc. If we really wanted to combat it, why are we allowing everyone to come into the
valley .... so I made my point, please take this into consideration of letting all businesses stay open and let people decide
where they go.
I stopped by the post office where there was 20 plus people in line not 6 feet apart, that is a site where I would think you
would get COVID... just saying.
Lastly, I know many people that work at Hardware box stores, Costco , Walmart, Ralphs..... and that is where many cases
have been happening since March.
Terry Wood
Palm Desert
Sanchez, Gloria
From:
Jann Buller
Sent:
Monday, December 21, 2020 7:09 PM
To:
Kelly, Kathleen; Harnik, Jan; Jonathan, Sabby;,Nestande, Gina; Quintanilla, Karina
Cc:
Rocha, Grace; Sanchez, Gloria
Subject:
Proposed resolutions
Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers:
The State of California and Riverside County are responsible for public health in their jurisdictions. They
possess ample legal and administrative authorities and mechanisms'to implement and enforce public health
protective measures. The City of Palm Desert proposes to add another layer of "remedies", per the amended
resolution. It is not clear, however, why and how the city might be effective in achieving compliance if/when
the state and county are not. Is there a staff report on this topic or other supporting data that can provide context
and explanation for this proposal?
By contrast, the repurposing of unused funds from hospitality relief to economic relief for businesses shut down
on December 7`h actively aids our beleaguered local businesses. I applaud this proposed resolution and urge
you to approve it.
Jann Buller
Palm Desert, CA
Sanchez, Gloria
From:
Jason Blackburn <info@sg.actionnetwork.org>
Sent:
Monday, December 21, 2020 7:25 PM
To:
CouncilMeeting Comments
Subject:
Unconstitutional treatment for our businesses
PD City Council,
Remember the paddle boarder who was arrested in Malibu during the first lock down? He
faced a $1,000 dollar fine and up to six months in jail for paddle boarding alone in the ocean.
Looking back, he posed no danger to himself or others. It is actually absurd to imagine that
he was arrested given what we know about how the virus spreads. In fact, the governor has
walked back his previous rhetoric actually encouraging Californians to go to the beach. How
about the mother who was arrested in front of her children when she defied the first stay at
home order by taking them to the public playground to play? Just last week the governor
deemed playgrounds safe (even with a greater spread of COVID in the state). Playgrounds,
the beach, golf, and hiking were never unsafe to begin with, but all fell under the slay -at-
home ordinance the first time around. Consider the ramifications to families and individuals
had the Palm Desert City Council instituted a misdemeanor enforcement polic y during the
first stay at home order. How many people would have been hurt by a policy that changed a
few months later. Why do that to residents now? It will change again.
What the Palm Desert City Council is proposing to do to Palm Desert residents and visitors to
our beautiful desert is turn them into criminals by issuing misdemeanor citations and fines
that could have life long effects on individuals and their families that would surely last longer
than Newsom's next change of policy. In doing so the city council is also overreaching in their
power over the good people of Palm Desert who have witnessed their own governor break
his own rules with simply an apology to mend it, no fines, and no criminal charges. Not only
was our own governor inside unmasked for hours with people from different households, they
were actually the same medical professionals telling us that their behavior was unsafe. If they
truly feared for their lives and the lives of their loved ones, they would not have attended that
dinner. Our leaders were not afraid to eat out and be together as many residents in our
beautiful city are also not afraid given the protectio ns restaurants have bent over backwards
to put into place. We may not all be as privileged as our political leaders, but we deserve the
same treatment
Can every member of the board claim that they have not gathered with members outside of
their immediate household? This is where the science shows we have the most spread. Let
he or she who is innocent cast the first stone then. Our governor surely can't, our
congressional delegates who just traveled in a group to Hawaii for a conference cannot, our
speaker of the house can't and it is plausible that no member of the city council can say that
they have followed the stay-at-home orders perfectly. Should you be criminalized? Let's not
forget that it is perfectly legal under the stay at home order to gather in large crowds to
protest, and that during protests individuals are legally allowed to chant and sing. This type of
hypocrisy matters when it is used as a cudgel against the "little guy." Other politicians have
used these restrictions to bludgeon the us. It is deplorable that members of this city council
are going to jump on that bandwagon. As voting citizens of Palm Dese rt, we will not soon
forget what you have done. The ramifications of your actions will surely last longer than the
governor's next policy change.
What you are proposing punishes people who are barely trying to eke out an existence right
now, normal, everyday folks and residents of this great city. Mothers, fathers, entire families,
grandparents, blue collar workers, laborers, a generation of individuals marked by ever
changing stay-at-home orders ---NOT CRIMINALS. Those who can afford a legal defense
against the charges will fight them and maybe even prevail, again, widening the difference
between how the haves and the have-nots are dealt with by our city. Depression rates are
skyrocketing as well as overdoses and death by suicide. These things are alarming and
underreported. You cannot help us work on our mental health by making us criminals. By
doing this, you will be on the wrong side of history just as we now can see how ridiculous it
was to arrest the paddle boarder in the ocean and the mother at the park. Do not do this.
Although less serious than a felony, a misdemeanor is a crime that carries permanent
implications.The ramifications of a misdemeanor charge on an individual and that individual's
family are not limited to the following:
Many employers run background checks and inquire about criminal charges before hiring
someone. Having a misdemeanor could prevent a pre -pandemic law abiding citizen from
supporting themselves and their family post pandemic. We don't want that as a city or as a
society.
Criminal records are made public and anyone can search to see if someone has been
charged with a crime. This could have a variety of implications for an individual.
If an immigrant faces misdemeanor charges, it could have a serious impact on their ability to
stay in the United States. Should the crime be severe enough, a misdemeanor might be
cause for deportation proceedings to begin.
Misdemeanors could also affect an individual's ability to be accepted to college or to rent
future property.
Please reconsider creating another law that punishes decent law abiding citizens. Every
single one of us is dealing with this pandemic the best we can. With all due respect, the
members of the Palm Desert City Council do not know what people are struggling with in their
homes. Please do not make it worse for families and individuals.
Jason Blackburn
Sanchez, Gloria
From: Iliana J. Thomas
Sent: Monday, December 21, 2020 7:35 PM
To: CouncilMeeting Comments
Subject: Proposal to issue misdemeanor citations over stay at home mandate - RESPONSE
Dear City Council Representatives,
As residents of Palm Desert, we oppose the proposal for City Code Enforcement Officers to enforce the state's stay at
home mandate. We find it appalling that our elected officials would consider using City resources and taxpayer dollars to
cause further damage to businesses, our economy and citizens already suffering by the mandate. Instead, our
representatives should be speaking up on behalf of its residents and businesses against Governor Newsom's extreme
socialist orders. City Council should be figuring out ways to keep businesses open and not shutting them down.
Respectfully,
Chad and (liana Thomas
Palm Desert Residents
Sanchez, Gloria
From: Gweldon Long
Sent: Monday, December 21, 2020 8:13 PM
To: CouncilMeeting Comments
Subject: Stay at home lockdown
believe a business should be allowed to make the decision on to be open or not and likewise a -
citizen should be allowed to goor not.. many people are being harmed by a few elected people.
Gweldon L Long
Sanchez, Gloria
From:, Joyce Virtue
Sent: Monday, December 21, 2020 11:55 PM
To: CouncilMeeting Comments
Subject: Citations of Business -a cause for concern
As a citizen of Palm Desert I take exception to the citing of restaurants for staying open at this time. Not only is it abuse
of our Hospitality Industry's Civil Rights to conduct business but it is this Council's abuse of power if this Council carries
out the issuance of citations. For each citation of each individual restaurant we as citizens feel as though we are also
cited and our civil rights are abused.
The Hospitality Industry in the City of Palm Desert also is an engine that allows the City to run by taxes it collects from
these businesses and the customers to whom these businesses service. These business have expended and extended
their budgets to meet the demands and requirements/regulations of the COVId-19 pandemic. It is obvious that
Governor Newsom considers it appropriate and lawful as he has made it obviously clear that he be entertained and eat
at a restaurant without proper masking. If this Council proceeds to cite these restaurants for doing business to provide
for many families, I would consider this gross discrimination against our Hospitality Industry and an over reach abuse
of their civil rights.
Respectfully,
Joyce Virtue
Sanchez, Gloria
From: Kathy Rappaport <kathy@flashfrozenphotography.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2020 6:45 AM
To: CouncilMeeting Comments
Subject: Health and Well being
As a business owner on El Paseo, I am very concerned about the lack of cooperation with the
Governor's Mandates by the few restaurants but the resulting actions of the patrons.
I understand the financial impact that this is having on our economy. I have been greatly affected as
a small business.
If the restaurants want to open and their employees are willing to subject themselves, perhaps
having a reservation would be a safer way to not have 100 people waiting for a table and
overcrowding those who choose to follow mask mandates. The mask requirements are not just Palm
Desert or California - but - worldwide where there is viral spread.
What is equally as disturbing as the situation of the restaurant opening is the patrons. They are
walking in the vicinity of the open restaurants without concern to the other businesses. They are not
patronizing the other businesses. Parking in the lots meant for other businesses and their patrons to
use and there is little to no parking. They are gathering in larger groups - I have seen groups of 10
waiting to dine standing on the sidewalks and passing through the walkways to get to their
destination -all ignoring the mask safety for others. This is without any regard to those who are
classified as retail and cooperating with the Safer Together Pledge.
Thank you for addressing this difficult subject
Kathy Rappaport
Sanchez, Gloria
From: Joyce Frisco
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2020 7:21 AM
To: CouncilMeeting Comments
Subject: Resolution
We vehemently oppose the passage of this Resolution ...it is tryannical to think that the City of Palm Desert is "caving"
to the State's one man's rule. We thought Palm Desert cared about it's small businesses and was more independent
thinking, free from partisan politics and pressure! Instead of supporting the local enforcement of this ridiculous Stay at
Home order (which obviously hasn't worked) you need to be resisting it and supporting your constituents in a common
sense way, by utilizing Code Enforcement to assist your small businesses on how to best protect the public in our
businesses... not to use them as a "strike team"...how un-American can you get. This Stay at Home "edit" is so arbitrary
and unfair, who gets to decide what businesses get to stay open and who has to close ... where is the evidence? Your
Resolution seems to only mention "in-store consumption of alcohol, food..." and personal care services such as body art,
tattoos, body piercing..." have to close, does that mean that outdoor dining is ok... And beauty and nail salons can be
open along with retail, big box stores? The only "emergency" that legally exists is with our hospitals not our small
businesses. If you really care about your community stop the insanity and Do not pass this Resolution! Your slogan is
Unite"...don't be hypocrites... be Sensible... Jeff and Joyce, Salon Suites, Palm Desert business owner since 1981
Sent from my iPad
Sanchez, Gloria
From: Patricia Langley
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2020 7A4 AM
To: CouncilMeeting Comments
Subject: Current Covid 19 Numbers for Council Meeting Today
To whom it concerns,
While I certainly understand the need fo precautionary measures such as social distancing, mask wearing (opinions on the data
vary on this) and good hygiene, I don't understand the punitive response of our city government. As a lifelong teacher of small
children you learn as a beginning instructor that punitive classroom management only makes children rebellious. Imagine,
telling every child in your class that they have to compete and assignment, you pass out the paper, pencil, and supplies to 3/4 of
the students but skip some desks. The children try to alert you but you stand firm on your "no talking rule" and don't address
them. They know that they will be in trouble if they don't complete the assignment (in this case the stakes are feeding their
family and paying their staff), so what do they do, they get up from their seats (another broken rule) to get the
supplies. Because they now broke two rules, you take away recess and send them to the office. When they come back to class,
they have no respect for the teacher and quit listening.
When the whole time, it was the teacher that quit listening to them. This is what you are getting ready to do here. Don't be the
punitive instructor in the lives of people desperate to survive. Be a listener.
Also,
It would be nice to have an explanation for the numbers posted here. They don't match up with the panic driven vitriol that is
playing games with people's livelihood.
Thank you for your time,
Trish Langley - Palm Desert Resident
Not a small business owner, but having daily anguish for the people who live here.
December 21, 2020
March to December 21. 2020
Tested Positive:150,422
Total Recovered: 73,008
Testing
Total Tested: 1,474,206
Hospitalizations'
Total Beds: 3476
Beds In Covid.-Use: 1239 _
Non-Covid Beds In Use:1797
Fatalities
Ages of Death
Death Rate for Positive
Covid-19 Cases:1%
Tested Positive:IV35
Tested Negative: 90%
Total available ICU Beds 492
Total ICU Bed Covid Use: 229
Non-Covid ICU Beds In Use:268
0-17/1 45-641432 Total Deaths:1753
18-2419 65-84/861 Average age of death from Covid: 72
25-44n6 65+1374 Covid Death Rate Total for entire
Riverside County Population:.07012%
'rc-U Red usage for both covid and rrcx)-covkf
use ore Subject to rrucruction and nxry oot equot
the total number or ICU avaHabfu.
Source: County of Riverside
Sanchez, Gloria
From: Jan Clement
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2020 7:45 AM
To: CouncilMeeting Comments
Cc: Forbush Daniel;janclement535@gmail.com
Subject: CITATIONS CONSIDERATION Tuesday December 22, 2020
To Our City Council Leaders;
I stand behind Sheriff Bianco and his refusal to uphold this latest draconian mandate from the state to shut our cities
and counties down again. Mostly, it is because I do not think these edicts by the governor are based on sound data, and
are overreach, and that he will keep on wielding emergency powers outside of the state legislature for as long as he
can.
Having said that, it seems to me that I read in one of your early -on meeting agendas regarding virus policy decisions,
that you had signed on to an "Emergency Declaration" of some kind which came down from the state. I assume that this
obliges you to stand behind the governor's dictates; to make your decisions based on the fact that you continue to
receive funds from the state. Please correct me if I am wrong.
So, in my mind, your hands are tied due to the financial contract you have agreed to, and this is the reason you are
obliged to consider upholding this latest draconian mandate. You must take some action and thus, you deliberate on
issuing citations now against our own struggling small business owners; singling out the restaurant owners and their
employees. And our citizens on top of that.
I guess I envisioned that we could be one of the strong, communities whose leaders decide to make a stand for our
businesses and citizens.
Things have changed in nine months. We know more. I believe a vaccine is beginning to be delivered into our countv as
of this week. Treatments are available by our frontline doctors. The survival rate oercentage for folks age 70+ stands at
95% according to the CDC.....
I hoped that our leaders would stand with our County Sheriff Bianco.
I never thought that in America, I would be looking at living in a police state. But I'm. lookin' at it now. It's
unconstitutional.
Please consider giving back our individual freedom to the citizenry. It's the constitutional thing to do.
It would be great to see our community lead the charge in gradually bringing back sanity to our policy making. The
entire state of Florida has been open for months now.
Thanks for your consideration and Blessings to you,
Jan and Dan Forbush
Sent from my Wad
Sanchez, Gloria
From: STACEY MILLS
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2020 8:14 AM
To: CouncilMeeting Comments
Subject: Protect our God-given Civil Liberties in Palm Desert
Stacey Mills
To the City Clerk,
I have been a resident of Palm Desert since 1964, my family has been here in the valley since 1920. 1 LOVE PALM DESERT
and always prided myself on our conservative values. I would be greatly disappointed if our city chose to use this
pandemic to violate our God given civil liberties by enforcing our governors over zealous, controlling, liberal driven
agenda to call what he says is inessential (restaurants, churches, salons) while allowing large corporate establishments
(like overcrowded Costco and Walmart) what's the difference if I buy food prepared by the same person that made a to
go order and eat it 6 feet away from another person, then standing inches away from an over crowded Costco or
Walmart as it is at most times with a mask on that is controversial in its effectiveness? None! It's all very silly and yet
destroying our economy in this beautiful city I've called home my whole life! Please do not mandate citations in our city!
Stacey S. Mills o