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December 4, 2020

COVID-19 Update: Stay-at-Home Order May Be Coming

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new business restrictions yesterday for a Stay-at-Home Order that could impact almost all of California due to a severe resurgence of COVID-19 cases. This order will become effective when a region’s intensive-care unit (ICU) capacity becomes 85 percent full – meaning that only 15 percent of ICU beds are available.

Sonoma County is part of the Bay Area region, which today is at about 25 percent ICU-bed availability but may drop to 15 percent by mid- to late-December. If that happens, a Stay-at-Home Order lasting at least three weeks would go into effect. The other regions – Greater Sacramento, Northern California, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California -- may trigger the same order even sooner, in the next day or two. The City will inform the Healdsburg community if the Stay-at-Home order goes into effect.

Here are the businesses that can remain open once the Stay-at-Home order is activated:

Critical Infrastructure such as hospitals and other healthcare facilities, utilities, financial services, government.
Offices: Remote only except for critical infrastructure sectors where remote working is not possible.
Retail: Maximum of 20 percent capacity and no eating or drinking will be allowed in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for senior citizens and others with underlying health conditions.
Restaurants: Take-out, pick-up, or delivery only.
Hotels and lodging: Right now, the order suggests that hotels can be open for critical infrastructure support only. More detail is needed from the State.
Schools (with waivers in place)
Non-urgent medical and dental care
Childcare and Pre-K
Outdoor recreational facilities: Outdoor only. No food, drink or alcohol sales. Overnight stays at campgrounds will not be permitted.
Places of worship and political expression: Outdoor services only.
Entertainment, including professional sports: Allow operation without live audiences.
Gym and fitness centers can only have outdoor activities.

Businesses that will need to close when the Stay-At-Home Order goes into effect:

Bars, breweries and distilleries
Wineries (visitor-serving side)
In-person dining (includes indoor and outdoor service)
Indoor and outdoor playgrounds
Indoor recreational facilities
Hair salons and barbershops
Personal care services
Museums, zoos and aquariums
Movie theaters
Family entertainment centers
Cardrooms and satellite wagering (casinos)
Limited services
Live-audience sports
Amusement parks

For more information, visit the State’s website: https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/

Voices: Holiday Lights and Art

It wouldn’t be the holidays without festive lights downtown, so the Healdsburg Chamber is collaborating with artist Jessica Martin and over a dozen other local, innovative artists to bring “Voices,” a collection of light sculptures and site-specific audiovisual and interactive installations to the downtown area.

The project was made possible in part through funding from Sonoma County, Creative Sonoma, and the National Endowment of the Arts. Go to www.artinhealdsburg.com to learn more and view a map of all the commissioned artwork.

California Clean Fuel Reward Program

The new California Clean Fuel Reward program gives drivers up to $1,500 off a new electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in hybrid vehicle at the time of purchase or lease. This new program is offered by the California Air Resources Board in partnership with electric utilities – such as Healdsburg Electric -- to encourage the use of clean fuels.

Visit https://cleanfuelreward.com/ to find out how you can upgrade to an EV and save!

Learn More About Electric Vehicle and E-Bike Incentives

The City has just published a new web resource where Healdsburg community members can find out about rebates and other incentives on electric vehicles and electric bikes, both of which reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.

The Electric Department has developed several incentives to support the transition to sustainable modes of transportation. The web page also includes information on state and federal programs that residents can take advantage of.

To learn more, go to: https://www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us/1000/Electric-Vehicles-E-Bikes

Dec. 10 & 15: Meetings on Development Impact Fees

The City is in the process of updating the City’s development impact fees, which have not changed since 1997. While the changes to drainage fees and residential development won’t be much, the proposed fees for commercial and warehouse development are significantly higher as they haven’t been updated in over 20 years.

You can learn more at two Zoom meetings, both of which will include a Q&A session. The first meeting is aimed at developers and will be held on Thursday, Dec. 10, from 4-5:30 PM. The second meeting is aimed at the layperson – the general public – and will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 15, from 4-5:30 PM. Register to attend by emailing rborja @ ci.healdsburg.ca.us.