Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: Discuss Format of Future City Meetings
Date: March 22, 2022
Written by: Damien O'Bid, City Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council discuss when future city meetings should return to inperson hybrid and provide direction to staff.
Background
With the start of COVID-19 in March of 2020, for the safety of all participants, City Council meetings transitioned to virtual, as permitted under Executive Order of the Governor, and then as later continued under AB 361 with monthly continuations by the City Council. On March 18, 2020, the City Council also declared a local emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic which is still in effect. In addition, the State of California has declared a state of emergency, which remains in effect at this time.
On May 26, 2020, when it became clearer that the pandemic did not have a clear end date and it started to become clear what the City could do to assist local businesses, the City Council adopted Resolution 2020-31 waiving fees and allowing the City Manager to authorize temporary street closures, amplified music, and related activities to allow businesses to quickly adjust to outdoor dining that was permitted under the then current health orders. Subsequently, on September 20, 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution 2020-59, “tolling” existing permits and entitlements, continuing to waive fees for park and street use and delegate permitting authority to the City Manager to facilitate outdoor retail and dining activities that were permissible under the health order. This action also allocated $90,000 to assist our hard-hit retail and restaurants by purchasing tents, and fully funding the set up and safety barrier systems. These tents and barrier systems continue to largely remain in place today. At any time, any business can ask the City to remove the tent placed next to their business, but the City has only had one such request to date (Shige). The provisions of Resolution 2020-59 were to expire six- months (180 calendar days) after the City’s COVID-19 State of Emergency Declaration expires, unless earlier terminated, further extended, or otherwise modified by action of the City Council.
During the pandemic, the City also made numerous upgrades to our audio visual systems, with the expectation that meetings will eventually return to in-person with the ability to also allow live remote participation by the public.
At this time, mask mandates in Sonoma County for most indoor settings have dropped, including most schools. The only remaining mandates are under the CalOSHA Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS), which only apply to places of employment. The ETS requires unvaccinated employees to wear masks indoors in common areas, as well as a variety of testing and isolation requirements if symptoms or close contact exposure has occurred.
Analysis/Discussion
Status of the Pandemic
March 11 marked the 2-year anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO) naming COVID-19 a pandemic. To date, the WHO estimates that more than 6 million people globally have lost their lives to the pandemic, and more than 450 million people have been infected.
Higher income countries have generally dropped most or all restrictions and reopened their countries. Most middle- and lower-income countries continue to impose various COVID restrictions, primarily due to the lower vaccination rates and lower testing and diagnostic capacity.
In the US, daily cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to decline. As of March 14, Sonoma County case rates continued to fall to 7.8 cases/100,000 people daily with a 2.9% test positivity rate. Twelve people are hospitalized countywide, typically unvaccinated. Sonoma County is currently at 81% fully vaccinated, which is starting to plateau. The county health department is continuing to push for pediatric vaccines; currently 48% of people ages 5-11 and 70% of 12-15 are partially or fully vaccinated. The State of California (including Sonoma County) has dropped most restrictions, except for higher risk congregate settings, such as hospitals, nursing homes and public transit.
It should be noted that over the past week, some European countries have seen a bump up in new cases, although it’s too soon to know if this is a trend and if it’s due in part to the current refugee crisis in Europe caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, China has seen a surge of new cases recently and has locked down tens of millions of people in Jilin and Shenzhen.
However, due to the high vaccination rates in Europe (estimated at high 80% or more), a majority of the cases are asymptomatic and less serious. By contrast, Hong Kong is also experiencing a surge in Omicron cases, including a relatively high number of deaths which are overwhelming hospitals and morgues. However, the primary factor driving the surge in Hong Kong is a low vaccination rate among those over age 80—only about 30% have received at least 1 dose—despite the availability of the shots. Comparatively, about 80% of older adults in the US are vaccinated.
Additionally, the type of vaccine could be playing a role in Hong Kong’s higher death rate. A majority of vaccinated elderly received the Chinese-made CoronaVac, which has been shown to offer little to no protection against Omicron.
Factors to Consider
When the City Council decides to return to in-person hybrid format meetings, it is recommended that the transition be phased. Due to the public nature of City meetings, it is unlikely that vaccination requirements or mask mandates could be enforced on public property. However, it is recommended to initially reduce seating in the Council Chamber to allow for greater seat spacing, as well as to continue to allow live participation in City meetings remotely. This will afford greater safety for participants, allow for citizens to participate remotely if they choose to do so, and retain the ability to quickly shift back to fully virtual if needed.
As of March 15, cities in Sonoma County operate their City Council meetings under a variety of formats, as summarized below by jurisdiction:
Petaluma: Fully virtual
Rohnert Park: In person, masks recommended
Sebastopol: Fully virtual
Santa Rosa: Hybrid, in-person and virtual
Windsor: Fully virtual
Healdsburg: Fully virtual
Cloverdale: In person, attendees “required” to wear masks Sonoma: Hybrid, in-person and virtual
Once the City Council decides to return to in-person meetings, it is recommended that the City Council also rescind the Declaration of Local Emergency. Unless the City Council decides otherwise, this action should also start the 180 day “clock” on Resolution 2020-59, including the removal of the tents. The City would contact the businesses using the tents and begin a dialogue to determine timing of the tent removals, not to exceed 180 days.
Finally, as long as conditions still meet the tests for AB 361, staff recommends continuing the local emergency declaration and the ability to host meetings remotely and/or hybrid as needed.
To continue teleconferencing under AB 361, as long as there is a gubernatorial "proclaimed state of emergency," or state or local officials are imposing or recommending measures that promote social distancing, then the legislative body can continue making the necessary findings. To maintain flexibility in this uncertain environment, it is recommended that the City Council continue these resolutions until conditions warrant. The City Council must find, by a majority vote every 30 days, that it has reconsidered the circumstances of the state of emergency and either (i) the state of emergency continues to directly impact the ability of the members to meet safely in person; or (ii) state or local officials continue to impose or recommend measures to promote social distancing.
As mentioned earlier, the gubernatorial state of emergency is still in effect, AND the Sonoma County Health Officer’s social distancing recommendations for public meetings are still in effect, either of which meet the test for AB 361.
Financial Considerations
There are no expected financial impacts to move to hybrid and/or in-person meetings.
Environmental Issues
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.