Specific businesses in some areas of California may be able to reopen as early as this week. Governor Newsom announced that on Thursday, May 7 he will share guidelines that will empower businesses to start making modifications and move towards opening their doors again. If businesses make certain modifications and demonstrate that they can follow the guidelines, they can begin to serve customers as early as Friday, May 8.
This announcement demonstrates that California is ready to enter the early part of Phase 2 of the four-part phased reopening plan. This early part of Phase 2 includes the ability for curbside pick-up at retailers like bookstores, music stores, clothing retailers, florists, toy stores, sporting goods stores, etc. — as well as reopening their necessary logistics, manufactures and supply chains. The guidelines will not include dine-in restaurants, offices and malls — those businesses are included in a later part of Phase 2.
However, businesses must follow whichever orders are stricter. So, for businesses in Santa Clara County, for example, they may have to wait even longer to resume operations. Santa Clara County currently has a strict shelter in place order in place through the end of May.
On the other hand, the state is also considering that some counties can possibly move faster through Phase 2 if they meet the state’s readiness criteria, according to Dr. Sonia Angell, Director of the California Department of Public Health. Therefore, with certification from the county’s local health officials and from the county’s supervisors, the state can consider putting that county on a reopening fast-track.
According to Dr. Angell, the state can make these advancements because progress through the state’s six indicators are on schedule. These indicators are the roadmap used by the state to make COVID-19-related decisions.
For example, Dr. Angell showed that COVID-19 hospitalizations have been very stable, if not on a slight downward trend.
For more information, visit covid19.ca.gov.
City Manager is choosing to fire employees instead of liquidating assets. The City Manager is choosing to fire employees as a first option. The City Manager who made pay + benefits over $680,000 in 2018 and required a housing allowance of $42,000 a year when she already lives in Sunnyvale, is choosing to fire people to save money. If the City Manager would have given up her 10% increase from December over 40 as needed employees from the Libraries alone could have kept their jobs. The City Manager and Council is choosing to take pay and benefits from the persons who actually run the City and make all the work happen. ANYONE can be a manager, the entire management group makes over 31% of the Cities total budget for personnel and their retirements are even higher. If you fire the employees, the manager doesn’t know how to do the work, it makes no sense. Who are these people? Why does no one care?