City Council
February 21, 2023
AGENDA REPORT
TO: G. Harold Duffey FROM: Angela Robinson Piñon
Interim City Administrator Deputy City Administrator
SUBJECT: Renew and Continue a Declaration of
a Local Emergency Due to COVID-19
DATE: February 6, 2023
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Renewing And Continuing The City Council’s Declaration Of A Local Emergency Due To COVID-19.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this resolution is to renew and continue the City’s local emergency due to COVID-19. By adopting this resolution, the City Council would find and proclaim that a local emergency continues to exist due to the illness known as COVID-19 and pursuant to California
Government Code Section 8630.
REASON FOR URGENCY
On October 17, 2022, the Governor announced that the statewide COVID-19 State of Emergency will end on February 28, 2023. Adopting this resolution before the end of the statewide COVID-19 State of Emergency, will allow the City Council to extend the COVID-19 local emergency which will enable the City to be eligible for financial and other resources needed to support the City’s COVID-19 response.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
On March 4, 2020, Governor Newsom issued a proclamation of emergency relating to the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-COV2.
On March 9, 2020, the City Administrator, acting as the Director of Emergency Services Operations Center (EOC) declared a local emergency within the City of Oakland due to the outbreak of respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (known as COVID-19).
On March 10, 2020, the City Council confirmed and ratified the existence of a local emergency within the territorial limits of the City of Oakland proclaimed by the City Administrator pursuant to Oakland Municipal Code Chapter 8.50 and Government Code section 8630 ; and
Feb 9, 2023
G. Harold Duffey, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Renew and Continue a Declaration of a Local Emergency Due to COVID-19 Date: February 6, 2023 Page 2
City Council
February 21, 2023
The Governor’s March 2020 proclamation of emergency waived the 60-day time period in Government Code section 8630, within which local government authorities must renew a local emergency, for the duration of the statewide emergency.
Under the statewide proclamation of emergency, any local emergency proclaimed will remain in effect until each local government authority terminates its respective local emergency.
On October 17, 2022, the Governor announced that the statewide COVID-19 State of Emergency will end on February 28, 2023.
By adopting this resolution, the City Council will affirm that a local emergency continues to exist due to COVID-19 and directs the City to take measures to respond to the emergency.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
Adoption of the proposed resolution advances the citywide priority holistic community safety.
Despite progress in addressing the pandemic, not all eligible individuals are fully vaccinated, and new, more virulent variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are spreading in California and throughout the world. Furthermore, despite significant progress, COVID-19 remains a threat to public health and safety to public health and safety in the Oakland community. Moreover, as of December 2022, a total of 2,094 Alameda County residents, including 596 Oakland residents, have died of COVID-19. The City of Oakland will continue to require access to services, personnel, equipment, facilities and other resources from the federal government, state, local and other agencies, including resources that may not be currently available, to continue to respond to cases and control the spread of the virus within Oakland’s population and communities, as well as to respond to continuing impacts of the pandemic. Failure to adopt the resolution may limit the City’s access to resources needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact directly associated with this action; however, the declaration of a local emergency is a requirement for a local jurisdiction to be eligible for funding to support disaster recovery post-emergency.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
There was no public outreach required beyond the posting and noticing of this agenda item.
COORDINATION
Production of this ordinance was coordinated between the Oakland City Attorney’s Office and the City Administrator’s Office.
G. Harold Duffey, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Renew and Continue a Declaration of a Local Emergency Due to COVID-19 Date: February 6, 2023 Page 3
City Council
February 21, 2023
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: As noted, declaration of a local emergency is often a pre-requisite to receive disaster recovery funding.
Environmental: There are no direct environmental opportunities associated with the proposed resolution.
Race & Equity: The data shows that the COVID-19 Pandemic has had the greatest impact to low-income, and marginalized people, which in Oakland are overwhelmingly represented by African-Americans and other communities of color. Declaration of a local emergency may allow the City to access funds that may be used to mitigate the direct effects of a local emergency.
These funds, once received, could be targeted to address the immediate needs of Oakland’s most vulnerable residents.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Renewing And Continuing The City Council’s Declaration Of A Local Emergency Due To COVID-19.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Angela Robinson Piñon, Deputy City Administrator, at [email protected]
.
Respectfully submitted,
ANGELA ROBINSON PIÑON
Deputy City Administrator
City Administrator’s Office