HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.28.20 Email from Shari McCracken COVID-19 Update
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:3.28.20 COVID-19 Update
Date:Saturday, March 28, 2020 11:35:48 AM
Attachments:3.28.20 Update to Board.docx
Board Members,
Attached for your information is an update from the end of this week. You have already
received detailed communications from Danette York on Pubic Health matters and Shelby
Boston on Care/Shelter functions.
Shari
Butte County Administration Shari McCracken
Chief Administrative Officer
25 County Center Drive, Suite 200 T: 530.552.3300
buttecounty.net/administration
Oroville, California 95965 F: 530.538.7120
Members of the Board
Bill Connelly | Debra Lucero | Tami Ritter | Steve Lambert | Doug Teeter
DATE: March 28, 2020
TO: Members, Board of Supervisors
FROM: Shari McCracken, Chief Administrative Officer
This past week has been filled with calls and meetings internal, with external partners, and with State
agencies to continue assessing local needs and obtain direction regarding COVID-19 from the State
where the State is the lead. The EOC structure is in place and the EOC facilities set up so that we are
ready to physically occupy them full-time as cases increase over the next couple of weeks. CalOES sent
representatives to our EOC Planning Meeting on Friday, and stated that we are as prepared, if not more,
than other counties in our region. CalOES observed we are covering all EOC functions and have plans in
place where we can, given the top-down approach of the State to this event.
At this time, the entire EOC team meets every other day for a briefing and planning session, and then
works remotely from their offices while coordinating with
the appropriate partners. As the EOC has only been active for a little over a week and focused on
continuity of operations, there has not been a lot to update on the EOC functions. Most activity has
been EOC Care/Shelter in the
past few days, as communication and coordination with our partners help define the processes and
support that the EOC needs to provide as cases increase.
Updates on specific Public Health activities will continue to come from Danette York, and updates on
Care/Shelter will come from Shelby Boston, as there is new information to share. I will only provide very
summary information on those aspects in the future.
At the request of Supervisors Lucero and Ritter, I am in the process of establishing a conference call line
for Friday mornings at 7:30 AM to provide briefings to local elected officials and City/Town Managers.
The briefings will come from Public Health and me, at a minimum, and may include other functions out
of the EOC structure if there are details to provide. It will not be a Q&A session, just a briefing, and it
will be limited to 30 minutes. If cases increase to a point that there is new information available more
frequently, I will look to expand the briefing to two times per week. At this point, information is not
changing that frequently and e-mail updates will have to suffice between the weekly calls. My goal is to
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establish the first call on Friday, April 3, absent something within the event requiring my or Public
My plan is to have an invitation sent out by next Tuesday.
We are observing local misunderstandings around the roles of Public Health and the EOC, as most
be additional information on this as we have time to produce visual tools.
Public Health is responsible for the COVID-19 Incident, with the Health Officer, Public Health Director, or
Public Health designee, serving as Incident Commander. In general, the Incident Command (Public
Health) is responsible for all coordination and communication of activities and functions related to
hospitals, health care, and health and medical resources. The typical emergency functions seen in EOCs
are also under Public Health and include public information, operations, logistics, safety, and liaison, as
well as health-specific functions. Authorities are provided through State statute. In Butte County, most
cities and the Town have delegated their Health Officer responsibilities to the County Health Officer, as
State law requires cities to provide the function if it has not been delegated to the County.
The County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), in its support role of Public Health, is responsible for
non-medical and non-health activities that include:
Supporting the Public Health emergency operations by providing additional non-medical and
non-health resources to Public Health;
Sharing public information from Public Health, and providing public information on County
continuity of operations and Care/Shelter functions;
Supporting County continuity of operations;
Providing logistics functions through ordering non-medical resources for the County and for
other jurisdictions or non--19 response,
once they have exhausted their available resources. The EOC will send the resource request up
through Regional and State Operations Centers, with no guarantee they will be filled. All costs
associated by the requests from non-County functions are the financial responsibility of the
requestor, and may or may not be reimbursable.
Care/Shelter through coordinating with local service providers and supporting individuals, who
have no other resources through friends, family, neighbors, or other local service provider, with
quarantine or isolation.
Liaison functions through information sharing with local agency partners and business/workforce
development partners.
Please note that cities or towns that have declared local emergencies may have their own EOCs that are
taking care of some of the above functions within their own jurisdictions.
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Other Updates
Continuity of Operations Departments continue to adjust operations as needed. The majority of
County offices are closed to the public, with employees working on-site or remotely.
For County Administration, Brian Ring is working remotely and I am working in the office. In order to
have a chain of command should one of us get to ill to work remotely, we must not work from the same
location. I have asked all Department Heads to consider their chain of command so that if a Department
Head or Assistant Department Head becomes ill and cannot operate remotely, there is another
executive-level employee available to run the department.
We have increased the amount and types of cleaning in offices still occupied, even if only partially, in
order to reduce the risks to employees. We must assume COVID-19 is already in our community, and
take individual responsibility for spot cleaning our own work areas, washing our hands, and maintaining
social distance when we must be around others, whether for work or essential needs we must address
in our personal lives.
Federal Stimulus Package There is funding in the latest federal stimulus legislation that local
governments under 500,000 in population can apply for through the State for some COVID-19 costs.
This appears to be the path to get reimbursement for the additional sick leave employers were required
to provide.
I believe you are all receiving CSAC updates, so I will not provide federal and State updates to you; I will
provide local information.
Participation on California Association of County Executives (CACE) call with all CAOs/CEOs in State
Discussion items included:
There is a lack of understanding throughout the State of the County (EOC) role in supporting
Public Health (the Incident Commander). The Incident is under the Health Officer (same roles as
a Fire Chief or Fire Incident Command Team), with EOC in support role.
o Butte County is about mid-stream for payroll/personnel rule changes and paid time off.
Some counti
local impacts until we see how long this event goes on and what other federal or State
requirements will be imposed. There does appear to be some funding to offset some
costs federal funding that Butte County will have to request through State. Do not
know what will be claimable or how much we can expect to get back.
o Butte County saw 271 employees utilize the federal Sick Leave during the week of
3/16/10 anticipate not quite double that number during the following two weeks.
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o Received a Department of Labor notice after 80 hours granted based on legislation, that
counties, like Butte, off guard. Working through the legislative process to correct. Butte
County will have to grant an additional 80 hours on 4/1, based on DOS current ruling, if
the ruling is not changed.
-21 budgets, considering the drastic change in anticipated local
revenues right when budget recommendations need to be completed, as well as unknown
impacts to federal and State funding streams;
o Butte County is on the right path with Recommended Budget we are reducing in the
Recommended Budget without making knee-jerk reactions and will plan on further
recommended reductions to be determined in May, once we know real impacts to
of COVID-19. The additional changes will
be recommended through the Schedule A process and will be considered during Budget
Hearings. Further reductions may be necessary after the Budget is adopted, if the
economy does not bounce back.
Counties are on information overload, with limited time to analyze the diverse federal and state
regulations, guidance and orders being passed all are very dependent on CSAC, RCRC, NACo
and others for summaries;
s and maintaining a safe and
healthy workforce;
o Most counties providing services similar to Butte County some offices remain open, but
public contact is reduced or not at all. Many services provided remotely, and redirecting
non-essential employees to assist in emergency operations.
Key issues to plan for based on counties impacted first (primarily Bay Area counties);
o Public Health Departments are beginning to model, based on a formula the State has
provided. The underlying assumptions were not provided, so numbers are for potential
order of magnitude based on current State assumptions. Danette York provided
information to Board Members.
o Public Health continues working on surge capacity with hospitals and health care
providers to anticipate and order necessary resources. In California, all medical and
health resources nor ordered directly by health care systems and facilities must be
ordered through the Medical and Health Operational Area Coordinators (MHOACs), which
are County Public Health Departments. Medical and health coordination and resources
do not run through city or county EOCs.
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o The California Hospital Association is coordinating with the State to support hospitals,
too. Any funding or reimbursements that hospitals seek must go through the State, not
through counties.
o Role of county EOCs - we must stay in our lane again, need to define so people
understand counties and EOCs are not responsible for the incident, just for supporting
Public Health and the public through sharing information and care/shelter. A primary
function of EOCs, not typically seen in other emergencies, is continuity of operations so
that essential services remain available while keeping County employees safe and
healthy.
o There was no additional advice from counties that have been hit sooner than Butte
County. We appear to be on track.
State legislative process and State budget it will not be business as usual. Only absolutely
necessary budget actions will be taken and bills very limited djustments
in April or May no new
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expenditures will be considered unless COVID-19 related no extension to April 10 property
tax deadline.
Enforcement of State Order very few counties are enforcing, most are using education and
seeing majority compliance. A very few counties are issuing cease and desist letters, which could
lead to citations. Some counties are having issues with people, primarily from the Bay Area,
fleeing to their second homes in more rural areas. Impacted counties are either requiring 14-day
Counties approaches to providing quarantine or isolation space for homeless populations varies.
All counties just received State allocations and information on how to utilize the funding this past
week. There are various approaches from commandeering fairgrounds, to using schools, to
leasing hotels, to providing hotel vouchers. In larger, urban areas, the State may be leading the
process and obtaining locations and resources for local responses; in others it is not.
o Shelby Boston sent an update on Care/Shelter activities. She will continue to provide
updates as new support is put in place, new funding is available, or new direction from
the State is received.
That concludes this update. As the event unfolds we will continue to adjust our communications so they
are more predictable and consistent, though conditions out of our local control may impact the flow at
times.
Take care, be safe, and stay healthy.
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