HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.18.20 Email from Shari McCracken - COVID-19
From:McCracken, Shari
To:Alpert, Bruce;Bennett, Robin;Clerk of the Board;Connelly, Bill;Cook, Holly;Lambert, Steve;Lucero, Debra;
McCracken, Shari;Ring, Brian;Ritter, Tami;Rodas, Amalia;Sweeney, Kathleen;Teeter, Doug
Subject:COVID-19
Date:Wednesday, March 18, 2020 9:58:21 PM
Board Members,
Just a quick update tonight, as it is getting late. You may have already heard about many of
these things given the amount of information coming in from CSAC and press releases by the
State.
Governor Newsom waived the requirement for public agencies to provide a remote site
for viewing Board/Council meetings. We will be closing off the Board Chambers during
Board Meetings to the public effective March 24th. Please let your constituents know
they can watch the meeting live from our website and can provide comments via e-
comment or e-mails to the Clerk of the Board e-mail address
(clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net).
We will continue to keep agendas brief and only with items that are
necessary to support essential County services, are statutorily required, or
support emergency response and recovery. Any ceremonial resolutions
may be read and then sent to the recipient, but the public will not be
allowed in the meetings to accept the resolutions or speak, though we are
working on a way for them to call in for future meetings.
We have established a process for Board Members to call in to participate
remotely, if you choose, instead of attending the meeting in-person. We
respectfully request that you call in if you are experiencing any signs of
illness. Ashley will provide information soon, if she hasn't already.
The Clerk of the Board, me (or a designee), and Bruce (or a designee) will
be the only staff in the Board Chambers, except for staff presenting items.
Staff will not be there for Consent Items, so please let me know in advance
if you want to pull an item so staff can call in to respond to questions, or
better yet ask your questions ahead of time so staff doesn't need to
respond during the meeting.
Governor Newsom announced the first round of emergency funding, which will include
funding to assist local jurisdictions with providing isolation/quarantine spaces for
priority homeless individuals, defined as those with COVID-19 or displaying symptoms of
COVID-19. The funding will be allocated and we should know if the next few days what
the County's allocation will be, and how funding will flow to CoCs and cities. We had 15
minutes notice for a call with CSAC and the Governor's Office and staff were in meetings
when the e-mail came in, so no staff were on the call. Supervisor Lucero was able to be
on the call.
We continue to staff and expand our structure for the EOC, in anticipation of cases in
Butte County. We are working out of our offices at this time, and do not plan on
physically occupying the EOC until positive cases are in our County and/or resource
requests become too large for us to handle virtually.
I will participate in the Public Health press conference tomorrow to provide information
on County operations and EOC activation and response.
We continue working with the State on a plan for infected homeless individuals, but
even with funding, the State cannot provide clear direction. We are advising them on
local needs and capacity and will push hard to get to a plan and solution sooner than
later. It's a very frustrating process, given the difference between public messaging and
the reality of the State's capabilities right now.
There will be a Supplemental Agenda with an item you will receive Friday on the leave
and benefits rules I needed to waive to comply with new federal law and address
impacted employees, as well as a resolution similar to what you approve during the
Camp Fire to allow me to make leave and benefit changes as needed with a report back
to your Board when the event is over.
We will have the list of office closures and information on how to contact departments
on our website tomorrow. It will change as directives and orders change, and we are
encouraging the public to always call before they go to any of our offices so they don't
make an unnecessary trip. Most services are available, just not in-person. Staff that do
not have jobs that are essential or can be done remotely are being redirected to assist
in EOC efforts where needed.
That's all I can think of right now, though I'm sure there's more. I will try to send you updates
each night, and you are now getting updates from Casey, serving as Liaison in the EOC, also.
Have a good night,
Shari