Bobcat Fire and More
The Bobcat Fire grew Friday after intense winds fanned the massive blaze, pushing the acreage burned to 91,000. The fire burned out of control in several directions, destroying many homes. Right now it appears to have spared Mt. Wilson and the facilities there as it moves northeast into the Antelope Valley where structures have burned and residents in some communities havebeen ordered to evacuate. Estimates are the fire won't be 100% contained until late October.
Additionally, at 11:28 on Friday night a 4.5 magnitude eqrthquake centered under South El Monte reminded us all that we need to be wary and prepared for a variety of natural disasters.
Statistics and Numbers
Pasadena recorded 10 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, September 18th. There have now been 2,499 lab-confirmed cases with 121 fatalities. No new deaths were reported on Friday.
As of Friday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 22 new deaths and 1,281 new cases of confirmed COVID-19. To date, Public Health has identified 258,516 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 6,330 deaths. A significant number of deaths have occurred in people without a reported underlying health condition. Out of the total deaths reported by LA County Public Health, nearly 480 deaths have occurred among people without known underlying health conditions. Ninety-two percent of the people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions. This number has stayed consistent throughout the pandemic. There are 739 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in LA County and 31% of these people are in the ICU. This number has continued to trend lower since mid-August. Of the 22 new deaths reported today, eight people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, five people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, eight people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Nineteen people who died had underlying health conditions including seven people over the age of 80, four people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, and eight people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old.
The County of Los Angeles (along with the Pasadena Public Health Department and the Long Beach Department of Health) launched the COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certificate Program (CSCCP) to help educate and train business owners to comprehensively implement the LA County Department of Public Health COVID-19 safety directives. The CSCCP is a no-cost online training course that educates business owners on the essentials of the County Health Officer’s Orders and what they need to do to ensure that their business practices are aligned and in compliance with infection control and physical distancing requirements. After completing the training, businesses will receive a COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certificate that can be posted on storefronts. The training is available in 13 languages and can be accessed online through the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 website. This voluntary program offers business, employees and consumers alike the added reassurance that essential training has been completed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This training is highly recommended for both business owners and employees. Consumers are urged to look for a posted Safety Compliance Certificate at any businesses they visit. Businesses that do not participate are required to display Public Health COVID-19 Protocols in their storefronts.
The Pasadena Public Health Department, LA County Health Department and Long Beach Department of Health are colloborating to offer SafePass. With SafePass you can track your symptoms, find testing sites, and enable Bluetooth contact tracing to get alerted when you’re exposed to COVID-19. And easily share your health status with friends for peace of mind when you spend time together. Get your safepass in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Here are the most important things that you can do to slow the spread of COVID-19:
- Stay home as much as possible
- Don't gather with people that you don't live with
- Wear a cloth face covering when you’re out in public
- Stay at least six feet apart from people you don’t live with
- Wash your hands thoroughly and often, and don’t touch your face
- Stay home if you're sick
In late August, the State of California issued a revised blueprint for the safe reopening of the economy. The statewide blueprint is a color-coded, tier-based system. The state has placed Los Angeles County, including Pasadena, into Tier 1 (purple).
In Pasadena and LA County personal care services (esthetician, skin care and cosmetology services; electrology; nail salons; body art professionals, tattoo parlors, microblading and permanent make-up; piercing shops; and massage therapy) are not allowed to be provided services indoors at this time, as directed by State Health Officer orders.
State of California COVID Blueprint for Safe Reopening- Pasadena/LA County remain in Purple Tier 1. In late August, the State of California issued a revised blueprint for the safe reopening of the economy. The statewide blueprint is a color-coded, tier-based system. The state has placed Los Angeles County, including Pasadena, into Tier 1 (purple). The color-coded chart with allowable activities can be accessed on the State of California's COVID Website, or by clicking here.
Here are the tables explaing the color coding and resultant protocols and orders:
From our friends at the California Restaurant Association: With news that Orange County could once again reopen for limited indoor dining, a primary question has been floating around LA proper: When is that happening here in LA County? Currently, Los Angeles County — home to a quarter of the state’s population and the highest concentration of COVID-19 cases — sits in the state’s highest reopening tier, part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s color-coded scheme to use trackable data as a way to slowly modify certain public health orders. But that could be changing, and soon.
As it stands now, Los Angeles County as well as nearby Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Kern counties, sit in the purple tier, the highest rating for counties at risk of community spread of the coronavirus. The two metrics used to determine those tiers are adjusted case rates (based on the number of new cases per day per 100,000 people) and the positivity rate, which tracks the number of confirmed new cases based on testing. Here are the benchmarks for each colored tier:
So where does Los Angeles fall in terms of the data? Right now the county adjusted case rate is 9.6, above the less-than-seven dividing line needed to move to the next lower red tier, though that number has been falling in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the county testing positivity rate is a scant 4.3 percent, well down from the double-digit numbers seen earlier this summer, and well under the mandated eight percent threshold needed to move to a lower tier.
That’s all to say: LA isn’t reopening its indoor dining just yet, but that could change before the end of this month. Right now new tier assignments are being meted out every Tuesday by California Health and Human Services secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, so there are three more announcements to be made between now and October.
If LA’s cases continue to fall and the positivity rate stays as low as it has been, then LA County restaurants from Pasadena to Long Beach should be prepared to potentially reopen for indoor dining at 25 percent of total capacity (based on occupancy), or 100 total seats, whichever is fewer. There is one big caveat, though: Just because the state allows for reopening based on its tiered system, that doesn’t mean that local public health officials will approve the plan. For example: Up in San Francisco, local public health officials there have not allowed for the resumption of indoor dining despite that county meeting the needed state criteria; the state says that it will continue to defer to local public health orders that are tougher than its own.
This is all to say: LA County is likely close to being able to reopen indoor dining at 25 percent capacity, but the data shown by county officials over the next few weeks will tell the full story. Unfortunately, government officials have not been great about giving advanced notice to businesses like restaurants (or hair and nail salons, gyms, or anyone else) to help them ease back into reopening safely. That means when the announcement comes in some upcoming public press conference, indoor dining could be allowed immediately, just like in late May. So just be ready, at least as ready as is possible given these tumultuous times.
INFORMATION:
Get alerted about emergencies and other important community news affecting Pasadena by signing up for the Pasadena Local Emergency Alert System (PLEAS). This system enables us to provide you with critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such as disasters, public safety critical incidents, and evacuations. You will receive time-sensitive messages to the devices that you specify, such as your home, mobile or business phones, email address, text messages and more. You pick where, you pick how, and it's only critical information that you want and need to know.
The City of Pasadena's Public Health Department has an interactive dashboard with a number of details and stats related to COVID-19 in our community. Pasadena's dashboard includes the number of lab-confirmed cases by race, age and gender; information on long-term care facilities; and a map of lab-confirmed cases by zip code. To view the dashboard and see Pasadena's curve, click here.
Friendly Reminders About Health Protocols. The general public is mindful of public health protocols and oftentimes takes to social media when businesses don't follow Health Officer guidelines. To avoid being targeted by social media users, please follow industry protocols and guidance. The City is working with our business and community partners to ensure that protocols are followed. Potential violations are oftentimes reported to the City's Citizen Service Center. Once a complaint is received, City Staff will begin by contacting a business to educate them on Health Officer-issued protocols. Repeat violations will be subject to progressive enforcement policies. For more information about industry specific guidance documents, FAQ's and protocols, click here.
No Fee Park Permits for Fitness Studios in Pasadena: On Monday, September 14th, City Council approved a modified General Fee Schedule which allows for private fitness studios based in Pasadena to pull a no-fee park permit to conduct classes in city parks. Fitness studios will need to comply with insurance requirements, pay a refundable security deposit, and possess a current Pasadena business license. To obtain a Park Permit for your Fitness Studio, contact City Staff: Leonardo Chavez lchavez@cityofpasadena.net or Dewayne Owney downey@cityofpasadena.net.
GRANTS AND LOANS AVAILABLE:
LA County's new $5 million Childcare Provider Grant Program opened for eligible licensed childcare operators in LA County who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This new program is funded by Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds.
Childcare operators in LA County (with the exception of those operating in the City of Los Angeles, as the City received its own allocation of CARES Act funds & has its own programs for City childcare operators) may visit childcaregrant.lacda.org for:
- Eligibility requirements;
- A video tutorial on how to complete the online application;
- And the Application Portal
The application period opened today - and will remain open through Friday, September 25, 2020 at 12 p.m. Applications will be ranked via a lottery and applicants will be selected in the order ranked per lottery process.
Regional COVID-19 Grant Fund - Upcoming Deadlines: The LA Regional COVID-19 Grant Fund will open a round of applications for non-profits on Monday, September 21st followed by Round 5 for small businesses and micro-entrepreneurs on October 5th. The regional fund will offer grants, not loans, to micro-entrepreneurs, small businesses, medium-sized businesses, and non-profits. For more information about the COVID-19 Regional Grant Program and to apply, click here.
Do you know a nonprofit providing social safety net services serving low-to-moderate income communities? If so, please share this information with them. Approximately 100 grants of $75,000 will be awarded. Learn more by attending one of three info sessions to go over how to apply for funding. Tuesday, September 22nd. Applications open on September 21st and close on September 25th.
Other grants and loans:
1. Small Business Relief, GoFundMe
GoFundMe is offering matching grants from donors of up to $500 to help small businesses that have created a fundraiser through the Small Business Relief Initiative or had an existing GoFundMe fundraiser. Small businesses are required to raise at least $500 via their fundraiser to qualify for matching funds, which will be available until the entire Small Business Relief Fund is depleted.
Deadline: Rolling
2. Black Founder Startup Grant, SoGal
SoGal Foundation teamed up with Winky Lux, bluemercury, twelveNYC, Lively and other sponsors to provide several $5,000 and $10,000 cash grants to Black women or nonbinary entrepreneurs feeling the impact of COVID-19.
Deadline: Rolling
3. Grants for Small Business, National Association for the Self-Employed
NASE members can apply for monthly small-business grants worth up to $4,000, as well as an annual $3,000 college scholarship for members’ dependents.
Deadline: Rolling
4. Amber Grant, WomensNet
WomensNet distributes $1,000 monthly grants to women with small businesses, for a total of at least $10,000 every month. They’ve also expanded their grant-giving to include a year-end grant of $25,000.
Deadline: Rolling
5. Business for All Grant, Hello Alice
This Hello Alice program offers exclusive mentorship opportunities and grants of up to $50,000 to support long-term business growth. Mentors include Gwyneth Paltrow, Kristen Bell, Lisa Price, Armando Christina “Pitbull” Perez, Jeff Hoffman and more, to empower every American with an entrepreneurial spirit.
Deadline: September 25, 2020, winners announced later this fall.
6. The Red Backpack Fund, GlobalGiving
Spanx and The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation teamed up with GlobalGiving to establish The Red Backpack Fund, making at least 1,000 grants of $5,000 each to female entrepreneurs in the U.S. to help alleviate the impact of COVID-19.
Deadline: Rolling
7. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs
The SBIR and the STTR grant programs focus on research and development for technology innovation and scientific research. The programs help connect small businesses with federal grants and contracts from 12 government agencies. Check out Hello Alice’s Guide to SBIR/STTR grants here, and read about how small businesses like yours can benefit from this lucrative source of government fundings in this blog.
Deadline: Rolling
8. Get Venture Ready, Fearless Fund
In an effort to support WOC entrepreneurs from all ends of the spectrum, Fearless Fund designed a 12-Month Get Venture Ready educational program with monthly masterclass teachers. At the end of the program you will have the chance to pitch for a $5,000 business grant.
Deadline: December 31, 2020
9. Business and Industry Loans, USDA Rural Development
The USDA is making available up to $1 billion in loan guarantees to help rural businesses — those in a city or town with a population of fewer than 50,000 — meet their working capital needs during the coronavirus pandemic.
Deadline: Rolling
10. Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) grants
Operated by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the MBDA helps minority-owned businesses access the resources they need to grow, with regular grant competitions. Visit their site for information on various current opportunities.
Deadline: Rolling
11. Operation HOPE Small Business Development Program
This program is designed to help entrepreneurs in low-income communities start businesses despite poor credit, lack of capital, or limited access to financial services. The program also includes 12 weeks of adult education programming designed to provide entrepreneurs with the skills, tools, and knowledge to succeed.
Deadline: Rolling
MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE HERE:
- City of Pasadena Novel Coronavirus page
- City of Pasadena COVID-19 Information for Businesses
- City of Pasadena Planning Department Rapid Reopening Permit Application Portal
- Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Information Page & Business Toolkit
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention Novel Coronavirus page
- Center for Disease Control Guidelines for Workplace, Home & School