WEEKLY BRIEFING
MAY 8 , 2020
IN YORBA LINDA
Please view the recap from the latest City Council meeting  on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 that has just been posted online. To view the May 5 meeting Agenda or the video, please visit the City’s Agendas and Minutes page .
The next City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.
For Families of Active Military , a Yorba Linda-based non-profit organization assisting military personnel and their families, along with Yorba Linda NCL are asking for your support in providing homemade cookies to the Troops and families located at the Fort Irwin Army Base. If you can do some baking that will add a little fun to the military community of Fort Irwin during the “stay-at-home” mandate, please deliver the cookies to the home of Bridget Blehm, 5425 Via Fonte, Yorba Linda, on Monday, May 11 between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Click here to learn all the parameters. For any questions and information, please contact BridgetBlehm@gmail.com | (714) 403-7165. 
Blood drives held at the Nixon Library in March and April have resulted in over 300 usable units of blood which amounts to over 900 lives potentially saved! 
Be part of this incredible movement by registering to give blood at an upcoming drive: 
·          June 3, 10am - 4pm - American Red Cross - Sign up here , Sponsor Code: NixonLibrary
·           June 7, 8am - 2pm - LifeStream Blood Bank - Sign up here
·          June 19, 8am - 2pm - LifeStream Blood Bank - Sign up here
Planning Commission Meeting: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. 
City Council Meeting: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. 
Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting: Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. 
COUNTY, STATE & FEDERAL REGULATIONS
California begins moving into stage 2 of modifying the stay-at-home order.
Effective on May 8, 2020 with proper sanitation and physical distancing protocols in place prior to operation:
Can open with modifications
·          Curbside retail, including but not limited to: bookstores, jewelry stores, toy stores, clothing stores, shoe stores, home and furnishing stores, sporting goods stores, antique stores, music stores, florists. Note: this will be phased-in, starting first with curbside pickup and delivery only until further notice .
·          Supply chains supporting the above businesses, in manufacturing and logistical sectors
Can open later in Stage 2:
·          Destination retail, including shopping malls and swap meets.
·          Personal services, limited to: car washes, pet grooming, tanning facilities, and landscape gardening.
·          Office-based businesses (telework remains strongly encouraged)
·          Dine-in restaurants (other facility amenities, like bars or gaming areas, are not permitted)
·          Schools and childcare facilities
·          Outdoor museums and open gallery spaces.


The County of Orange (County) announced the launch of the Great Plates Delivered program to support seniors and local businesses needing assistance during the COVID-19 crisis. The County will partner with multiple local food providers to deliver three nutritious meals a day to adults 65 and older and adults 60-64 who are at high-risk from COVID-19, to support them staying home and healthy.
The program will also serve as a form of economic relief to local businesses and workers struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic. “This program allows local businesses to receive economic aid while serving the elderly, one of the County’s most vulnerable populations,” said Chairwoman Michelle Steel, Second District Supervisor.
The County of Orange has received a $900,000 grant from the California Employment Development Department (EDD) to provide economic support for dislocated workers. The grant will support approximately 1,500 Orange County residents who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 and need assistance. Orange County WIOA Adult & Dislocated Worker program participants are eligible to receive up to $800.00 reimbursement for essentials such as housing, utilities, childcare and transportation costs.
Please remember to comply with Orange County business guidelines  while doing your business and social activities.
Please view the latest message  from Senator Ling Ling Chang about COVID-19 related changes in federal tax law and important school update.
On Wednesday, May 6, Representative Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (D-CA-39), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Chris Pappas (D-PA-01), and Greg Steube (R-FL-17) introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure local chambers of commerce and other nonprofits who support small businesses can receive the federal assistance they need to weather this economic downturn while they continue working to help America’s Main Street businesses. The Local Chamber, Tourism, and 501(c)(6) Protection Act would expand PPP eligibility to include 501(c)(6) organizations with 300 or fewer employees to ensure they can continue supporting our main street businesses and local economies.
“Chambers of Commerce are vital for the vibrancy of our local economies. We have been instrumental in our community on the delivery of the proper communication regarding our current Public Health Orders,” said Susan Wan-Ross, CEO/Executive Director of Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce . “Without Chamber of Commerce support – businesses would be in a tougher situation. It’s important that Chambers of Commerce and other 501(c)(6) organizations be included in the PPP, as we are the behind the scenes workforce, advocating for our local businesses to keep the economy strong.”
Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday that workers who contract COVID-19 while on the job may be eligible to receive workers’ compensation. The executive order creates a time-limited rebuttable presumption for accessing workers’ compensation benefits applicable to Californians who must work outside of their homes during the stay at home order.

The Governor also signed an  executive order  that waives penalties for property taxes paid after April 10 for taxpayers who demonstrate they have experienced financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic through May 6, 2021. This will apply to residential properties and small businesses. Additionally, the executive order will extend the deadline for certain businesses to file Business Personal Property Statements from tomorrow to May 31, 2020, to avoid penalties.

EDD has shared a presentation of the assistance programs that are offered to workers during to COVID-19.

Here is the link for the presentation [ Orange County Regional Planning Unit ]
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rapidly change California’s regulatory landscape. To help employers through these uncertain times, the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Investment Board has extended the current deadline from June 30, 2020, to September 30, 2020, for employers with more than 100 employees to register with the CalSavers program.

Orange County COVID-19 Public Information Hotline and Health Referral Line: 1 (833) 426-6411 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
Orange County Economic & Business Recovery Call Center: (714) 480-6500, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday
California COVID-19 Hotline: (833) 544-2374, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 7 days a week
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Thanks to the support from Wells Fargo, LISC LA is providing 15 $5,000 grants to small businesses affected by the COVID-19 crisis to help them keep functioning and remain vital facets of their local economies through this challenging period. The application will open from May 8, 2020, at 9 am PST and close May 9, 2020, at 9 am PST . You can preview the application questions here .
Eligibility:
·      Micro-businesses and enterprises affected by COVID-19 in Orange County, especially those in underserved communities, including entrepreneurs of color, women- and veteran-owned businesses that often lack access to flexible, affordable capital.
·      Businesses must have at least 2 employees and a maximum of 5 Full-Time Employees or 10 Part-Time Employees.
·      Applications will be reviewed based on criteria designed to prioritize particularly challenged businesses, and the final grantees will be randomly selected from the top-scoring applicants.
·          Businesses must be located in Orange County.
The California Retailers Association is working on programs to help retailers large and small navigate new guidelines, new protocols, and new ways of doing business. Now, CRA wants to share a few resources with you:
·        Proposal to elected leaders on re-opening retail in the state. In collaboration with the California Business Properties Association, CRA provided suggestions and ideas on how retail can safely reopen . This document provides retailers ideas on best practices as they transition to re-opening their doors.  ACCESS HERE
·        A resource provided by CRA member company, Target, that they have made available to all retailers. This documents offers suggestions and ideas that retailers large and small may want to consider as they look at opening their doors. ACCESS HERE
·        CRA President & CEO, Rachel Michelin, has been participating in chamber led calls and zoom meetings to share what she knows about the re-opening of retail, answer questions and offer suggestions and best practices to assist all retailers as they look at doing business in the future . If you are interested in partnering in a zoom meeting, please contact Ryan Allain, Manager of Local & State Government Affairs. You can email Ryan HERE .
The U.S. Chamber created the new interactive State-by-State Business Reopening Guidance map—equipped with current stay-at-home orders, timelines, state profiles, and more critical information—to help you track the differences and provide the latest guidance for America's employers. 
Click here to view the U.S. Chamber's new State-by-State Business Reopening Guidance map.

The U.S. Chamber and MetLife released the monthly Small Business Coronavirus Impact Poll —which surveys how small businesses nationwide are adapting their operations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among other key insights, the most recent poll—taken on April 21, 2020—finds that to mitigate the financial impact of the pandemic:
  • 27% of small businesses have shortened their hours;
  • 26% of small businesses have asked customers for support or started a crowdfunding campaign;
  • 19% of small businesses have adjusted employee salaries or hours; and
  • 19% of small businesses have applied for a working capital loan, an almost five-fold increase since last month.
Time for Take Out  is a free resource publishing a list of local restaurants that are open and offering take-out, Curbside Pickup and/or delivery.
Got a restaurant to add to their list? Submit it here . [ Time for Take Out ] 
The effects of the coronavirus pandemic have moved beyond meat processing plants and are now hitting dinner plates. Several U.S. production plants have been temporarily shuttered in the last two weeks after hundreds of workers were sickened by the virus. Costco, Sam’s Club, Hy-Vee and Kroger are limiting purchases of meat to avoid panic buying. Fake meat companies, meanwhile, are making their moves to capture some of those lost sales.
Some early reports on April activity suggest discounting may have begun already. Zillow looked at listing trends for existing homes and condos and found the median asking price in Los Angeles and Orange counties, as of April 19, was $856,575 — down 7% in a month. Cal State Fullerton’s Woods Center forecasts Orange County home prices will drop 3%-5% by the end of the year, recovering 2%-3% next year.
However, there are still plenty of Southern California house hunters in this virus era in which buying is a complicated, online/virtual experience. An obvious lure: historically cheap mortgage rates for folks with perceived secure employment and perhaps a view that the virus-linked economic turmoil will be brief. [ The OC Register ]
The basic principles are familiar: staff and customers must wear masks; the number of people allowed in an establishment must be reduced to allow for six-foot spacing when possible; anything that people touch needs to be disinfected, frequently. But can businesses even afford to open their doors under these restrictions? Or can they figure out new ways to turn a profit? The answer depends on the sector.
In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank, and employment law expert Jennifer Shaw offer tips and insights on how employers can prepare to bring teleworkers back into the office once COVID-19 stay-at-home orders are lifted.

IMPORT / EXPORT
The California Chamber of Commerce, the Pacific Northwest International Trade Association and the Washington Council on International Trade shared their support and principles for trade rebound this week in a joint letter to President Donald J. Trump with copies to U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, and the congressional delegations of California, Oregon and Washington. The three organizations ask the Trump administration and Congress to continue to advance bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements that are critical to consumers, workers, businesses, farmers and ranchers.
The letter also expresses concerns about the Buy America Executive Order under consideration. Although the pandemic has highlighted the importance of encouraging the reshoring of certain medical and pharmaceutical supply chains for national security purposes, now is not the time to make this shift. The organizations ask that the effort to enact the executive order be paused to allow enough time for firms to implement changes carefully, ensuring there will be no damage to the domestic industries.


Trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico is being affected in ways as varied as the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the three North American countries and their state or provincial jurisdictions.
On the U.S.-Canadian border, the mutual closure date has been extended until May 21. The border is open only for essential goods and travel and there have not been significant issues. In Mexico, there has been a shutdown on non-essential trade which has been extended until May 30. The problem for businesses on both sides of the border is that the United States and Mexico don’t agree on the definition of an “essential” business or service.
For information about events in Yorba Linda, please visit these links: