Full Notification

Current Initiatives and Updates

• City will not hold a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony this Year – Friday will mark the 19th anniversary of the terror attack on September 11, 2001. Due to State and County health orders restricting gatherings during COVID-19, the City of Manhattan Beach will not hold a 9/11 remembrance ceremony this year. Despite the cancellation, the City continues to remember and honor the lives that were lost that day. The City looks forward to holding a special ceremony next year on the 20th anniversary of September 11.
• Everyone Counts – Only 68.5% of Manhattan Beach residents have completed the 2020 Census thus far! As we continue to address the COVID-19 pandemic, we think about the world we live in and how we can make it better and safer for the generations to come. The Census allows us to lay the groundwork for securing the funding that our community needs to thrive. An official count of our population is used by every level of government to decide funding for our schools, childcare programs, nutrition, and health resources. Answering nine easy questions online or on the phone, today will affect us every day for the next ten years. Everyone counts, but so far, 31.5% have not responded. An undercount from Manhattan Beach would take away the power of our voices and count us out of the decisions that affect us. It puts our future and funding at risk, resulting in less money for our hospitals, fire departments, and schools. For every person left uncounted, we could lose $1,000 per person each year for the next ten years. The Census ends this month on September 30. Respond today by utilizing the three options below:
  • online at 2020census.gov;
  • call and respond by phone at (844) 330-2020; or
  • complete and mail back the paper questionnaire received.
• Recent Press Release:
  • County Health Officer Order Revises Restrictions on Salons, Barbershops, and Schools (9/4/2020)

On August 28, the state introduced its Blueprint for a Safer Economy, a four-tier framework by which counties are measured for loosening and tightening restrictions on social activities and business operations. As of August 31, 2020, Los Angeles County remains in Tier 1, or purple status representing "widespread" risk, with the most severe restrictions. The Los Angeles County data on the State website reflects 11.0 new COVID-19 cases per day (per 100k) and a 4.3% positivity rate. To move into a tier with fewer restrictions, the County of Los Angeles data must reflect 4-7 new COVID-19 cases per day (per 100k) and a 5-8% positivity rate.

Federal, State, and County Updates

• Testing Recommendations Following Labor Day Weekend – The Department of Public Health recommends testing for individuals possibly exposed to COVID-19 during the Labor Day weekend. If you were in a crowded area over the weekend and people were not wearing cloth face coverings, you should get tested. If you were around someone who was feeling sick, you should get tested. And if you were with someone who has tested positive for the virus, even if they never felt ill, you should get tested. Due to safety concerns from the unhealthy air quality in smoke-impacted regions across L.A. County, several County testing sites are closed. If you are interested in being tested for COVID-19, you are encouraged first to contact your Primary Care Provider or Healthcare Center about receiving a test at their facility. The L.A. County operated testing site local to Manhattan Beach is at the Beach Cities Health District campus, 514 North Prospect Avenue in Redondo Beach. Visit lacounty.gov/testing for testing information or call 2-1-1.
• Women's Bureau Requests Input on Paid Family and Medical Leave – The Women's Bureau, U.S.  Department of Labor (Department) Requests Information regarding the impact of paid family and medical leave on America's workforce. For 100 years, the Women's Bureau has been committed to formulating standards and policies to promote the welfare of wage-earning women, improve their working conditions, increase their efficiency, and advance their opportunities for profitable employment. As part of this commitment, the Department seeks input regarding paid leave programs from employees and employers on the effectiveness of current state-and employer-provided programs and the impact that access, or lack of access, has on women and their families. Information provided will help the Department identify promising practices related to eligibility requirements, related costs, and models of programs. Comments can be submitted online at regulations.gov until September 14. For more information, visit dol.gov.
• Advancing Compliance Solutions in Today's Workplace – The U.S. Department of Labor is hosting a free Virtual Summit on Monday, September 14, at 7:00 AM to help employers comply with federal labor laws and inform workers about their rights through modernized tools and employer recognition awards. The event will feature conversations with the Wage and Hour Division's (WHD) Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program; the Veterans' Employment and Training Service's (VETS) HIRE Vets Medallion Award program; and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs' (OFCCP) Excellence in Disability Inclusion Award. Following a one-hour break, at 10:30 AM, participants will be able to participate in a virtual breakout session with the agency of their choice, including one with WHD on COVID-19 Compliance Assistance Materials. Visit dol.gov for more information, download the Virtual Summit schedule, register for the Summit, and your breakout session of choice.
• Actions in Response to COVID-19 – The Governor took several measures in response to COVID-19, including:
  •  Signing numerous bills such as AB 1867, which immediately ensures access to paid sick leave for every California employee, the new law eliminates coverage gaps;
  • Support for small businesses to exclude PPP loans from gross income for state taxes;
  • Worker compensation benefits for employees who contract COVID-19 during the stay-at-home order;
  • Critical child care services for essential employees and vulnerable populations;
  • Additional weekly unemployment benefits; and
  • Support for employees to isolate and quarantine outside their home.

• SafePass Mobile App Contact Tracing Program –Los Angeles County and City leaders joined forces with Citizen to launch SafePass, a mobile app that provides contact tracing capabilities. SafePass allows users to self-report their symptoms for COVID-19 and receives notifications and alerts directly from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. All contact tracing data is anonymous, private, encrypted, and deleted after 30 days by Citizen. County residents are encouraged to download the app to expand local efforts to track COVID-19. The app uses Bluetooth technology and anonymized data to track any close contacts with other users and alerts them to potential exposures. To learn more about SafePass, visit citizen.com/safepass.
• Pandemic Recovery Funds for Small Non-Profits - The next round of L.A. Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund Grants will open for small non-profits located in Los Angeles County on September 21. Grant winners are chosen through a randomized application system. The application is available now for preview. Visit lacovidfund.org for more information.
• National Disability Forum on COVID-19 and SSA Programs: Serving Our Beneficiaries Through Unprecedented Times – The Social Security Administration is hosting a virtual forum to help the public access the services they have adapted during the pandemic. The forum takes place Tuesday, September 22. Session One is at 7:00 AM and is titled, The Advocate Experience: Best practices and lessons learned for connecting seniors, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations to benefits and other critical services during the pandemic. Session Two is at 11:00 AM and is titled The Governmental Agency Experience: Adapting policies and procedures to continue to serve the public during the pandemic. Visit ssa.gov for more information and to register.
• Re-Opening Schools for Students Most in Need of In-Person Learning – DPH has published the TK-12 Education in Person Support and Services Notification Form for schools to submit to offer in-school services for small cohorts of students with Individualized Education Plans (IEP), students requiring instruction for English as a Second Language (ESL), or students needing assessments or specialized in-school services. The form requires the school to attest to having adequate PPE in compliance with County and State guidance, a plan or protocol in place for testing and outbreak management, and that they will adhere to the Re-Opening Protocols for Schools. Visit lacounty.gov for more information.
• COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certificate - During Labor Day weekend, Public Health inspected a total of 331 businesses, including restaurants, markets, hair salons and barbershops, hotels, and gyms. The compliance checks focused on educating business owners and revealed reasonably good compliance with Public Health protocols, but also identified room for improvement and, where appropriate, resulted in citations. Since DPH began issuing citations (on August 28), 30 citations were issued, resulting in $23,000 in fines imposed. To better educate business owners and employees, DPH launched the COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certificate Program. The program 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 align and are in compliance with infection control and physical distancing requirements. Visit lacounty.gov for more information.
• L.A. County Daily Briefing Statistics on COVID-19 – DPH confirmed 42 new deaths, no new cases of COVID-19 in Manhattan Beach, and 1,239 new cases of COVID-19 in L.A. County in today's daily report. To date, DPH identified 251,024 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 6,128 deaths; ninety-two percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Testing results are available for nearly 2,406,000 individuals, with 10% of all people testing positive. There are 940 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 currently hospitalized, and 33% of these people are documented cases in the ICU. To view DPH's COVID-19 Daily Data, visit lacounty.gov. To view statewide case statistics and demographics, including positive cases, deaths, and testing results, visit covid-19.ca.gov.

[1] September 9, 2020, Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html

[2] September 9, 2020, Source: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx

[3] September 10, 2020, Source: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

[4] September 10, 2020, Source:  http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/