Monrovia City Manager's Update - Coronavirus Update (September 2, 2020)

Press release from the City of Monrovia:

September 02, 2020

Hello Monrovians,

This update has been prepared to share with you the latest COVID-19 information.

Very important and exciting news for many of us today…Los Angeles County announced that hair salons and barbershops may reopen. Your City staff, including myself, continues to be available should you have any questions or concerns. For the most current information, resources, and modifications to city services, please visit cityofmonrovia.org/COVID19. Additionally, if you have any specific questions related to the impacts of COVID-19, please send an email to pio@ci.monrovia.ca.us.

Sincerely,
Dylan

Los Angeles County Announces Planned Reopenings with Safeguards in Place

Effective today, hair salons and barbershops can reopen immediately at 25% occupancy for indoor services as long as they have infection control safeguards in place and comply with the County’s Health Officer Order Reopening Protocols for Hair Salons and Barbershops, which require physical distancing and face coverings for both employees and customers. As permitted by the state, hair salons and barbershops are encouraged to maintain as many operations outdoors as possible.

The updated Health Officer Order and protocols will be on Public Health’s website later today.

All other prior restrictions will remain at this time.

Governor Newsom Signs Statewide COVID-19 Tenant and Landlord Protection Legislation

Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he has signed legislation to protect millions of tenants from eviction and property owners from foreclosure due to the economic impacts of COVID-19. These protections apply to tenants who declare an inability to pay all or part of the rent due to a COVID-related reason.

Under the legislation, no tenant can be evicted before February 1, 2021 as a result of rent owed due to a COVID-19 related hardship accrued between March 4 – August 31, 2020, if the tenant provides a declaration of hardship according to the legislation’s timelines. For a COVID-19 related hardship that accrues between September 1, 2020 – January 31, 2021, tenants must also pay at least 25 percent of the rent due to avoid eviction.

Tenants are still responsible for paying unpaid amounts to landlords, but those unpaid amounts cannot be the basis for an eviction. Landlords may begin to recover this debt on March 1, 2021, and small claims court jurisdiction is temporarily expanded to allow landlords to recover these amounts. Landlords who do not follow the court evictions process will face increased penalties under the Act.

The legislation also extends anti-foreclosure protections in the Homeowner Bill of Rights to small landlords; provides new accountability and transparency provisions to protect small landlord borrowers who request CARES-compliant forbearance; and provides the borrower who is harmed by a material violation with a cause of action.

Additional legal and financial protections for tenants include:

• Extending the notice period for nonpayment of rent from 3 to 15 days to provide tenant additional time to respond to landlord’s notice to pay rent or quit.
• Requiring landlords to provide hardship declaration forms in a different language if rental agreement was negotiated in a different language.
• Providing tenants a backstop if they have a good reason for failing to return the hardship declaration within 15 days.
• Requiring landlords to provide tenants a notice detailing their rights under the Act.
• Limiting public disclosure of eviction cases involving nonpayment of rent between March 4, 2020 – January 31, 2021.
• Protecting tenants against being evicted for “just cause” if the landlord is shown to be really evicting the tenant for COVID-19-related nonpayment of rent.

Visit HousingisKey.com for additional information.

California Property Tax Postponement Program

Do you or a loved one need help keeping up with residential property tax payments? The Property Tax Postponement (PTP) Program allows eligible homeowners to postpone payment of property taxes on a primary residence. To be eligible for PTP, you must:

• Be at least age 62, or blind, or have a disability;
• Own and occupy the home as your primary place of residence;
• Have a total household income of $45,000 or less;
• Have at least 40 percent equity in the property; and
• Other requirements.

The interest rate for taxes postponed under PTP is 5 percent per year. A lien will be placed on the real property, or a security agreement filed with the Department of Housing and Community Development for a manufactured home, until the account is paid in full. Funding for the program is limited. Applications will be accepted from October 1 to February 10 each year, and will be processed in the order received. Only current-year property taxes are eligible for postponement. Repayment under the PTP Program becomes due when the homeowner:

• Moves or sells the property;
• Transfers title;
• Defaults on a senior lien;
• Refinances;
• Dies; or
• Obtains a reverse mortgage.

For additional information, contact the Controller’s team at (800) 952-5661 or postponement@sco.ca.gov.

California Blueprint for a Safer Economy

California is implementing the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, a statewide plan for living with COVID-19 for the long haul. The plan imposes risk-based criteria on tightening and loosening COVID-19 allowable activities and expands the length of time between changes to assess how any movement affects the trajectory of the disease.

Based on recent data, each county will fall into one of four colored tiers – Purple (Widespread), Red (Substantial), Orange (Moderate) and Yellow (Minimal) – based on how prevalent COVID-19 is in each county and the extent of community spread. That color will indicate how sectors can operate.

In LA County, the ultimate decisions about sector re-openings will remain under the purview of the County Health Officer Orders, which are developed in consultation with LA County's Board of Supervisors.

LA County is currently in Tier 1 - meaning that there continues to be widespread transmission of the virus in the county. Per the State, LA County's current number of 7-day average of new cases (per day per 100,000 people) is 13 - nearly double the threshold for moving up to Tier 2 (which requires that LA County have less than 7 new cases per day per 100,000 population).

LA County’s current test positivity rate is 5%. And even though this places LA County in Tier 2 (Red) for this metric, when the two metrics fall in different tiers, the State places counties in the most restrictive tier; hence, LA County (like most counties in California) has been placed in Tier 1.

Fourth Round of Application Period for LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund Now Open

The COVID-19 pandemic has come at a great cost to LA County's economy. As we navigate the Road to Recovery, LA County reminds small businesses, non-profit organizations, and micro-enterprises that the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund is a resource worth knowing about.

The LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund currently includes $3.2 million in grants for small businesses, non-profits and micro-enterprises facing economic challenges due to COVID-19. Funded by LA County, the City of LA and the Union Bank Foundation, this resource looks to provide eligible applicants with grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000.

Don't miss your opportunity to apply - the application is available in 12 different languages. To apply for a grant or ask questions, visit LACOVIDFund.org or call 833-238-4450.

Tips for a Safe Labor Day Weekend

Here are a few tips for a safe Labor Day weekend.

1. First, only gather with members of your household this holiday weekend – there’s so much to do together in our beautiful county – explore a trail or have a picnic at one of our beautiful beaches early in the day.
2. If you are outside of your home and around others, please wear a cloth face covering.
3. Always use your own utensils, cups, food, drinks – do not share with others.
4. Avoid crowds and be flexible and willing to change plans or move locations if you find yourself in a crowded area.
5. Avoid confined spaces, especially places where physical distancing or staying more than 3 steps away from others isn’t possible, and people aren’t wearing face coverings.
6. And if you are sick (or have been exposed to someone who is positive for COVID-19), please isolate or quarantine as appropriate.

COVID-19 At a Glance

Latest Facts & Figures

Jurisdiction

• Monrovia - 688 confirmed cases | 37 deaths**
• L.A. County – 242,521 confirmed cases | 5,829 deaths
• California – 712,052 confirmed cases | 13,163 deaths

Residential / Non-Residential Settings in Monrovia

• Glen Park at Monrovia - 1 staff cases* | 1 resident case
• Trader Joe's - 6 staff cases

*Facilities that have no reported positive COVID-19 cases for 14 days are considered to no longer have an outbreak and removed from the list. Confirmed cases of employees from residential/non-residential settings get counted under their home city.

**Additional details on cases and deaths were not provided by the County of Los Angeles. View the Public Health Statement Regarding COVID-19 and Patient Privacy.

LA County's Dashboard

The LA County COVID-19 Dashboard provides an overview on COVID-19 testing, cases and deaths along with maps and graphs showing testing, cases and death data by community poverty level, age, sex and race/ethnicity.

Stay Informed

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• California Department of Public Health
• To keep the community informed, the Los Angeles County provides updates, which can be viewed on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.
• City of Monrovia
• Monrovia Strong

This press release was produced by the City of Monrovia. The views expressed are the author's own.