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July 17, 2020

Rise in Covid-19 Cases Further Restricts Business Activity

On July 13, the County was one of 32 counties statewide that must further restrict business activities to help lower the surging virus transmission rate. Through at least August 2, these business sectors in Sonoma County must close unless they can provide outdoor services. 

• Dine-in restaurants

• Movie theaters
• Family entertainment centers (e.g. bowling alleys, mini golf, batting cages)
• Museums and zoos
• Card rooms (e.g. casinos)
• Gyms and fitness centers
• Places of worship
• Hair salons and barbershops
• Personal care services (e.g. nail salons, massage parlors, and tattoo parlors)
• Offices for non-critical infrastructure sectors as identified at covid19.ca.gov 
• Malls
• Protests

In addition, all bars, brewpubs, breweries, and pubs throughout the state must close unless they offer sit-down meals outdoors and comply with State guidance issued on June 28. For more information, here’s the full order from the State of California Public Health Officer.

Governor Says Public Schools in Most Counties
Must Shift to Virtual Learning this Fall

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today that public schools in the 32 counties on the State’s coronavirus watch list – including Sonoma County – must shift to full-time online learning this fall.

Schools may re-open only when COVID-19 cases drop per State health guidelines. That means at least 14 consecutive days of declining COVID-19 cases in addition to following health and safety requirements such as face masks, physical distancing, and coronavirus symptom checks. For  more information on this new announcement on school guidance, go to:  https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-schools.pdf

More Healdsburg Businesses Open Outdoors

Since the State further restricted business activity on July 13, more Healdsburg businesses are taking advantage of the City's Marketspace program, which allows them to use public spaces though a special use permit. To date, the City has issued temporary outdoor activities permits to 16 local businesses and an additional 12 applications are under review.

Public spaces include, but are not limited to, sidewalks, alleyways, parking stalls, parks and public facilities. Any Healdsburg business can apply to use public spaces by completing an application here.

CARE Program Helps Low-Income Electric Customers

In April, as COVID began to sweep across the country, the City enacted several measures to help our community. One measure was increasing the low-income discount for electric usage via our CARE program. The change provided more than 500 low-income customers in Healdsburg a 100 percent discount on electricity during April, May, and June, providing $72,000 in savings.

Also, the City increased the income-qualification limits for the CARE program, which allowed an additional 100 low-income families to benefit. Starting July 1, the City began offering its regular electric discount of 25 percent on the monthly bill for qualifying customers, as well as discounts of 15 percent on water and 20 percent on sewer and stormwater charges. If you know of a family that could benefit from the City’s low-income utility discount please share the City’s CARE program with them.

Healdsburg Sunrise Rotary Club’s Roll-Thru Rotary 4th

While we were disappointed to cancel the annual Duck Dash and Fourth of July celebration in Plaza Park this year, The Rotary Club of Healdsburg Sunrise and City staff brought a new activity to town on Independence Day -- the Roll-Thru Rotary 4th.

Families drove through the Community Center and were greeted by the famous Rotary Ducks, waved hello to first responders and viewed their emergency vehicles, and received a patriotic-themed goodie bag distributed by Rotary Club members. A special thank you to our friends at the Fire Department, Police Department, and Bell’s Ambulance who helped to make this a special day for Healdsburg families.  

City Council Nomination Period Now Open

The nomination period for the three City Council offices up for election on November 3, 2020, opened on Monday, July 13 and will remain open through August 7. Healdsburg community members interested in running for City Council are encouraged to contact the City Clerk’s Office at (707) 431-3317 or mmcarthur@ci.healdsburg.ca.us.

Due to COVID-19, City offices are still closed to the public. Nomination papers will be issued by appointment only during the nomination period. For more info on City Council, please go to: https://ci.healdsburg.ca.us/179/City-Council

New Online Portal for Building Permits and Inspections

The City's Building Division is pleased to announce the activation of our Citizen Self Serve (CSS) online web portal for building permits and inspections. CSS allows citizens to apply for over-the-counter permits (seven types of permits available), schedule inspections, and check the progress of their permit -- whether they applied online or in person. 
 
Staff has been working on this new tool for several months to ensure that it works as seamlessly as possible. Thanks to the participation of a few intrepid contractors and property owners, we have been able to test the system in real life prior to publishing the tool for general use.

Although our offices continue to be closed to the public, City Staff continue to process permits and inspect projects. The CSS portal will go a long way toward providing increased services while limiting in-person contact to protect staff and the public. For more information about the CSS online tool, please go to https://www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us/989/Online-Building-Services--CSS.

Senior Center Outdoor Programming in High Demand

The Senior Center launched a series of outdoor programs so Healdsburg’s older adults can stay active and connected during the shelter-in-place orders. Two exercise classes, a book swap, and a discussion group started the week of July 6 and will continue through the month. These programs provide older adults a way to safely connect with each other while fighting the negative impacts of isolation and physical deterioration.

Classes follow specific safety protocols, including pre-registration, proper social distancing, and face mask requirements. All classes are currently filled to capacity and City Staff are discussing options to continue through August and into the fall.

For more information, please contact us at senior@cityofhealdsburg.org or click this link.

Results of City Manager Recruitment Survey Available

The results of a bilingual community survey on what skills, experience, and attributes our next City Manager should have are now available. All comments were provided to the City Council to help them find the best fit for this position.

This new City webpage provides detailed survey results as well as a brochure detailing the job description and salary and benefits information.

Downtown Sidewalk Repair Update

The City has completed sidewalk repair along the east side of Center Street between Matheson Street and the City Police Station. The project replaced portions of sidewalk that had failed or been uplifted by roots from the adjacent trees.

Work was coordinated with the adjacent businesses to minimize impact and resulted in a large improvement to one of the more heavily traveled City sidewalks.