RESOLUTION NO. 2023-03-6731
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, TERMINATING THE CITY’S LOCAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE CITY AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WHEREAS, the California Emergency Services Act (“CESA”) (Government Code section 8550, et seq.), authorizes the proclamation of a local emergency when conditions of disaster or extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the territorial limits of a city exist; and WHEREAS, Government Code section 8630 and section 2.76.060(a) of the City of Signal Hill (“City”) Municipal Code empower the Director of Emergency Services (City Manager) to proclaim the existence or threatened existence of a local emergency if the City Council of the City of Signal Hill (City) is not in session, and require that the City Council shall take the action to ratify the proclamation within seven (7) days thereafter, or the proclamation shall have no further force or effect; and WHEREAS, in late 2019, an acute respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus, known as COVID-19, began to spread globally and rapidly, resulting in severe illness and death around the world. The World Health Organization (“WHO”) described COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The WHO reports that to date the disease has caused over 6 million deaths worldwide; and WHEREAS, in early 2020, and in response to the increased spread of COVID-19, the California Governor and Los Angeles County along with many other public entities in the state declared a state of emergency pursuant to CESA; and WHEREAS, the City Manager acting as the Director of Emergency Services, proclaimed an emergency as a result of the COVID-19 virus on March 19, 2020. The proclamation was ratified by the City Council on March 24, 2020, via Resolution No. 2020-03-6557; and WHEREAS, although, the requirement under Government Code section 8630(c), to review the need for continuing the local emergency every 60 days until terminated, was waived by Governor Newsom’s state of emergency proclamation issued on March 4, 2020, the City Council has taken formal action to approve the continued need for the local emergency since the Council ratified it on March 24, 2020; and WHEREAS, the public health community’s response to mitigating the spread of COVID-19 has changed over time in response to the fluctuating presence of the disease. Fortunately, the State and County are currently experiencing a significant decrease in confirmed cases, test positivity rates, and related hospitalizations. In fact, California’s death rate as a result of COVID-19 is the lowest amongst large states. Additionally, COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are now widely available, and vaccination rates are increasing. Most businesses are operating as normal and Los Angeles County has reduced the number of restrictions countywide in response to current conditions; and WHEREAS, in light for the foregoing, numerous public entities have terminated their COVID-19 emergencies. The statewide emergency declared by Governor Newsom terminated on February 28, 2023. Also on February 28, 2023, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution terminating the County wide COVID-19 emergency, effective March 31, 2023; and WHEREAS, the nature of COVID-19 continues to remain in flux. However, the State, County, and City have successfully developed infrastructure to effectively combat the spread of the disease that have transformed a once crisis event into a manageable situation; and WHEREAS, pursuant to California Government Code section 8630(d), the City Council shall proclaim the termination of the local emergency at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant; and WHEREAS, the City Council desires to proclaim the termination the local emergency declared in the City in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY PROCLAIMED AND ORDERS, by the City Council of the City of Signal Hill, California, as follows:
Section 1: That the foregoing recitals are true and correct.
Section 2: End of COVID-19 Local Emergency. Pursuant to California Government Code section 8630(d), the City Council finds and proclaims that the conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property that arose as a result of COVID-19 in the City of Signal Hill no longer exist. As such, the proclamation of an existence of a local emergency declared in response to COVID-19 proclaimed by the City Manager on March 19, 2020 and ratified by the City Council on March 24, 2020 no longer exists.
Section 3: The City Clerk is hereby directed to enter this Resolution into the minutes of the City Council, which shall constitute the official declaration of the results of such property owner ballot protest proceeding.
Section 4: This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption and the City Clerk shall certify the adoption of this Resolution.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Signal Hill, California, on this 14th day of March 2023.
TINA L. HANSEN
MAYOR
ATTEST:
KIMBERLY BOLES
SENIOR DEPUTY CITY CLERK
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss.
CITY OF SIGNAL HILL )
I, CARMEN R. BROOKES, City Clerk of the City of Signal Hill, California, hereby certify that Resolution No. 2023-03-6731 adopted by the City Council of the City of Signal Hill at a regular meeting held on the 14th day of March, 2023, and that the same was adopted by the following vote:
AYES: MAYOR TINA L. HANSEN, VICE MAYOR LORI Y. WOODS, COUNCIL MEMBERS ROBERT D. COPELAND, KEIR JONES, EDWRAD H.J. WILSON NOES: NONE
ABSENT: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
KIMBERLY BOLES
SENIOR DEPUTY CITY CLERK