South Bay by Jackie Weekend Guide March 26, 2020

It’s been a rough couple of weeks and the experts say things will get worse before they get better…. but they WILL get better! I didn’t leave the house for over a week and finally ventured to the grocery store last Sunday in search of perishables…. it appears I’m the only person buying Brussel sprouts. Kidding! In fact, there are plenty of fresh fruits and veggies available. (I had thought this could be an opportunity to eat healthier since more people are cooking at home now, but seeing the empty shelves where there used to be cookies, chips and ice-cream has me reconsidering that idea.) We already had N95 masks, goggles and latex gloves in our earthquake kit, and I put them on before going into the store. When I returned home, I undressed in the garage and left my shoes and clothes in the side yard and tossed the mask and gloves in the trash along with the shopping bags. We used hand wipes to clean the boxed and canned goods and the interior of my car and scrubbed the fruits and vegetables in the sink. I found a great tutorial online that shows how to do this and you can watch it here. I’m sure that nasty virus is capable of getting past all our efforts, but hell if we don’t give it the old college try, right? Onward….
Due to the current crisis, we’re temporarily switching gears to act as a clearing house for hyper-local news. We receive information from multiple, reliable sources and are posting it to the website’s Daily Blog page.
The South Bay Show podcast will continue to have the same focus for the foreseeable future. We encourage anyone that wants to share information or just let us know how you’re doing, to call in to the show at 714-242-5288 every Thursday morning between 8 and 9 a.m. We had several people call in last Thursday, including Tom Bakaly, CEO of Beach Cities Health District. BCHD is providing aid to our community in multiple ways, so if you have a question or need assistance, give them a call at 310-374-3426, ext. 256.
Our community will continue to have access to critical and essential resources. Examples of these essential businesses are:
• grocery stores, markets
• restaurants that are doing take-out, delivery, or drive-thru service
• convenience stores
• pet supply stores
• hardware stores
• gas stations
• laundromats
• plumbers, electricians, auto mechanics
• airlines, taxis, transportation providers
• banks
Please remain calm and not rush local grocery stores or hoard resources. There is no disruption in our supply chains.

GET SOME GATOR AND A HURRICANE TO WASH IT DOWN!
YEP, LIQUOR TO GO IS NOW LEGAL!

Last Friday, Governor Newsom requested the California National Guard be deployed in the State to provide short-term assistance to food banks providing humanitarian assistance. Again, no formal request has been made nor received by the County of Los Angeles. Emergencies are scary enough. Let’s not add to the fear by spreading misinformation. The California National Guard are our neighbors and our friends. They want what’s best for our communities; they live here too. The California National Guard is not here for martial law or military rule. Any news to the contrary is FALSE. For information on how the California National Guard is supporting our community efforts, please visit https://www.nationalguard.mil/coronavirus/.
Last week I listed several South Bay city websites offering information and updates on operations and procedures regarding COVID-19. Below is an updated list. Click on the city name and you'll be redirected to the site.
• El Segundo
• Gardena
• Hawthorne
• Hermosa Beach
• Lawndale
• Lomita
• Manhattan Beach
• Palos Verdes Estates
• Rancho Palos Verdes
• Redondo Beach
• Rolling Hills Estates
• Torrance

Residents are encouraged to register to receive Emergency Alerts. You can do so by visiting http://www.alertsouthbay.com or by texting your city-specific keyword to 888777. They are as follows:
• Regional Alerting: ALERTSB
• El Segundo: CV19ES
• Gardena: CV19GAR
• Hawthorne: CV19HAW
• Hermosa Beach: CV19HB
• Lomita: CV19LOM
• Manhattan Beach: CV19MB
• Palos Verdes Estates: CV19PVE
• Rancho Palos Verdes: CV19RPV
• Rolling Hills Estates: COVID19RHE
• Torrance: TorranceAlerts

SET UP AN APPOINTMENT NOW FOR YOUR POST-PANDEMIC PORTRAIT!

This past Tuesday was declared The Great American Take-Out Day as a means to spread awareness and support for the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 epidemic. A few of our local Chambers of Commerce have created sites to support local restaurants:
El Segundo – Gundo to Go
Manhattan Beach – Meals 2 Go MB
Torrance – #TorranceStrong
If you’re aware of any other programs like these, please let me know so I can share!
Remember to buy gift certificates NOW for future use at your favorite restaurant, salon, pet shop, fitness studio, boutique, gallery, coffee house etc. One other thing you might consider – continue paying anyone that provides a service, such as a house keeper, dog walker, gardener, baby sitter, etc. If you can, make payments now as credit for future service and it will help to get them through this unprecedented crisis.
GOOD NEWS…. We’ve posted a few new events to the website this week! Yep, people are getting creative and using technology! There was a live stream art project hosted by the South Bay Artist Collective this past Monday, Shockboxx will host a virtual closing reception and artist talk on Saturday, and the BeachLife crew is hosting a Speakeasy Live Stream Event on Friday, May 1 from 3 to 8 p.m. with some of the musicians that were scheduled to play at the festival. They’ll be raising awareness and donations for music industry relief and other worthy causes helping those in need. So be sure to tune in, jam out, and do good at the same time!
As I mentioned last week, the number of updates and alerts we’re receiving is staggering. We’re sorting through it all on order to share this information with you in a timely manner without replicating and wasting your time. There are too many city specific items to include here, however, everything is being posted to the Daily Blog page on my website.
Stay well, be safe and take care. #SouthBayStrong
Jackie
https://www.SouthBayByJackie.com/Weekend-Guide.php