1 REVISED PROCLAMATION OF EXISTENCE OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY (by the Director of Emergency Services)
AN EXECUTIVE ORDER OF THE DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY SERVICES OF THE
CITY OF SANTA MONICA DECLARING THE EXISTENCE OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY WHEREAS, Section 2.16.060 of the Santa Monica Municipal Code empowers the Director of Emergency Services to proclaim the existence or threatened existence of a local emergency when the City of Santa Monica is affected or likely to be affected by a public calamity and the City Council is not in session, subject to ratification by the City Council within seven days; and
WHEREAS, the Director of Emergency Services of the City of Santa Monica does hereby find:
That international, national, state, and local health and governmental authorities are responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus named “SARSCoV-2,” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019,” abbreviated COVID-19, (“COVID-19”); and
That while the complete clinical picture with regard to COVID-19 is not yet fully understood, reported symptoms and illnesses from COVID-19 range from mild to severe, including fever, coughing, shortness of breath, and illnesses resulting in death; and That the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that certain populations face elevated risk and widespread transmission of COVID-19 would translate into large numbers of people needing medical care at the same time and other critical infrastructure may also be affected; and
That, on January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern”; and
That, on January 31, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency to aid the nation’s healthcare community in responding to COVID-19; and
Rick Cole
City Manager
Office of the City Manager
1685 Main Street
PO Box 2200
Santa Monica, CA 90407-2200
DocuSign Envelope ID: 6CD47410-A416-4C9C-A909-742CEE6C0060 2 That, on March 4, 2020, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Department of Public Health declared a local emergency and local public health emergency to aid the regional healthcare and governmental community in responding to COVID-19; and That, on March 4, 2020, the Governor of the State of California declared a state of emergency to make additional resources available, formalize emergency actions already underway across multiple state agencies and departments, and help the state prepare for broader spread of COVID-19; and
That, on March 11, 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic; and
That, on March 13, 2020, the President of the United States of America declared a national emergency and that the federal government would make $50 billion in emergency funding to assist state and local governments in preventing the spread of and addressing the effects of COVID-19; and
That, as of March 13, 2020, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 40 confirmed cases of COVID-19 within Los Angeles County, including six cases identified as likely due to community transmission; and That the City of Santa Monica (the “City”) has a population of over 90,000 residents, is a major tourist destination, has two major hospitals and an airport within its jurisdiction, is a significant destination for business travel, and is adjacent to and contiguous on three sides with the City of Los Angeles, resulting in high volumes of residents and visitors traveling within and across the City’s borders; and
That, on or before March 4, 2020, the City actively planned and implemented measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to prepare for any and all emergency actions in response to the spread of COVID-19; and
That, on March 12, 2020, the City activated its Emergency Operations Center to support ongoing emergency actions in response to the spread of COVID-19; and That the City intends to continue to take bold and aggressive actions to protect the public health and safety during this local, state, and national public health emergency; and That the above described events are creating conditions of extreme peril and such conditions are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the City, requiring the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat; and That, on March 13, 2020, in my capacity as Director of Emergency Services, I issued a proclamation of local emergency to declare the existence of a local emergency; and That this revised proclamation is issued as an additional precaution and out of an abundance of caution in accordance with laws related to use of digital signatures; and DocuSign Envelope ID: 6CD47410-A416-4C9C-A909-742CEE6C0060 3 That the City Council of the City of Santa Monica is not in session and cannot immediately be called into session.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY PROCLAIMED and restated that a local emergency and now exists throughout the City;
IT IS FURTHER PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED that during the existence of said local emergency, the powers, functions, and duties of the emergency organization of the City shall be as prescribed by federal and state law, and by City ordinances and resolutions of this City.
ADOPTED this 14th day of March 2020.
By: _____________________________
RICK COLE
City Manager
Director of Emergency Services
ATTEST:
___________________
DENISE ANDERSON-WARREN
City Clerk
This proclamation has been issued in accordance with applicable law and is in effect and carries the force of law until March 20, 2020, on which date it expires unless confirmed and ratified by the City Council.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________
LANE DILG
City Attorney
DocuSign Envelope ID: 6CD47410-A416-4C9C-A909-742CEE6C0060