UPDATE FROM THE MAYOR August 21, 2020 This week has been an emotional and life changing week for many in the Bay Area and all around California. There are currently 370 fires burning across California, including fires in San Mateo County. While property in South San Francisco has not been affected, there is a good chance that we all know people impacted by these fires. Sadly, several of our City Staff have lost their homes due to the fires, and our hearts go out to them. Please be mindful to watch out for any fires and if you see any active flames, please call 9-1-1 immediately. We are in the heart of fire season and it is important that we catch active flames sooner than later. Take care, too, to avoid the smoke if possible. Make sure to check up on loved ones, especially since we are also still in the midst of a pandemic. As of August 20, 2020, there are 7,472 reported COVID-19 cases with 128 deaths in San Mateo County. In South San Francisco, there are 755 positive cases. The county is sharing data daily on the cases, which can be found here. Visit San Mateo County's All Together Better website here to explore local data on a broad range of topics, such as demographic information, health outcomes and important resources in our County. We are still on the State's COVID-19 Monitoring List, but I am hopeful that San Mateo County can follow suit of Calaveras, Napa, Placer, Santa Cruz, and San Diego county whom have all recently been removed from the monitoring list. Please continue to stay home, wash your hands, and social distance at least 6' from others. Stay strong. We will get through this together. The City of South San Francisco is here for you. We have set up a dedicated website, www.ssf.net/Coronavirus which is updated daily with new information and resources. I also encourage you to sign up for our citywide email distribution list. We can also be reached via email at [email protected] or we're just a phone call away, (650) 877-8502. COVID-19 Testing San Mateo County's free COVID-19 testing is available without restriction to anyone, although appointments are required. To schedule an appointment, visit the Verily/Project Baseline, San Mateo County's free testing provider, at https://bit.ly/2xk73OL If you don't have access to the internet, there may be a volunteer on site who can assist you. The following mobile sites are available also: HALF MOON BAY Our Lady of the Pillar 565 Kelly Avenue Tuesday, August 25 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Tuesday, September 1 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. NORTH FAIR OAKS Stanford Parking Lot 2685 Bay Road Thursday, August 27 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Friday, August 28 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Thursday, September 3 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Friday, September 4 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. SAN BRUNO The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 975 Sneath Lane Wednesday, August 26 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Wednesday, September 2 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. SAN MATEO San Mateo County Event Center 1346 Saratoga Drive Monday, August 24 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Monday, August 31 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Find the complete calendar and valuable testing information at: https://www.smcgov.org/covid-19-testing Outdoor Dining The City recently implemented an outdoor dining program for restaurants interested in offering an outdoor dining option. So far there are two restaurants offering outdoor dining -- Ben Tre and Amoura - with more to come soon. Face masks and social distancing are required. Please come and enjoy our great restaurants. Thank you for supporting our small and locally owned business in South San Francisco. Orange Pool Temporarily Closing Again Unfortunately new direction from state government concerning the state's COVID- 19 restrictions require us to shut down the city swimming pool. This will be effective starting tomorrow, Saturday, August 22nd. Firefighters Deployed to Help our Neighbors The City has deployed some of our SSF firefighters to help with fires in California. Battalion Chief Chris Campagna and his strike team continues to provide structure protection for areas affected by the River Fire in Salinas. The incident has grown to 35,000 acres and is 7% contained. Captain Brian Wisler and his Incident Management Team have assumed responsibility for the North Complex fire in the Plumas National Forest. That complex includes numerous fires and is 8,600 acres with an estimated 0% containment. Firefighter Paramedic Leo Granados continues to serve as a Line Paramedic for the firefighters actively engage at the Loyalton Fire, approximately 30 miles North of Lake Tahoe. The Loyalton Fire is 47,000 acres with 38% containment. Engine 161 with Captain Todd Rael, Engineer Stanley, Firefighter Broughton, and Firefighter Hagar have been incredibly busy providing structure protection in both San Mateo County and Santa Cruz Counties as part of a strike team response to the CZU August Lighting Complex. E161 is currently in the Bolder Creek Area as the fire moves southward towards Highway 17. The August Lightning Complex 40,000 acres with 0% containment. Our SSF Police Department has also contributed to the effort, helping to evacuate residents in the Pescadero area due to a nearby fire. Our thoughts are with our brave first responders and hope they soon return home safely. 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment Granting Women the Vote This past week the City ran a social media campaign featuring 5 incredible and remarkable women in our South San Francisco community relating their stories and the importance of the 19th amendment. Our speakers include U.S. Representative Jackie Speier, Councilmember Karyl Matsumoto, Councilmember Flor Nicolas, City Clerk Rosa Govea Acosta, and Vice Chair of the Personnel Board Frances Luster. Check out the campaign on our following social media pages: Facebook Twitter Nextdoor MyNabes YouTube We will also be lighting up City Hall with gold and purple lights on August 26 to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Take a moment to remember the work and sacrifice of women leaders 100 years ago who fought for the right to vote, and appreciate the positive impact this has had on our nation. 59 Days Left to Register to Vote in November 3rd Election The last day to register to vote for the November 3rd Presidential Election is October 19th. We encourage you to register soon because the County Elections Office will start mailing ballots to all registered voters October 5th. Here are a few tips to make sure you're all set to vote: Register to vote at www.registertovote.ca.gov Review your voter registration information to make sure it is all up-to-date if you're already registered to vote. If you need to update something, you may re-register at www.registertovote.ca.gov Great Plates Delivered Extended through September 9 The Great Plates Delivery program provides nutritious daily meals to qualified residents from participating local restaurants. This program has been extended through September 9, 2020. Those 65 and older, or age 60-64 at high-risk from COVID-19, are COVID-19 positive or have been exposed to COVID-19, and live alone or with an eligible adult, may be eligible to receive services. Learn more at https://www.smcgov.org/food Summer Meal Program These are tough times for some of our neighbors. Many have lost their jobs, some are ill or recovering, and all are feeling the strain of prolonged sheltering in place. Residents needing social service assistance may call 2-1-1 for information about a wide variety of resources in the community. One program is the Summer Meal Program to ensure children don't go hungry. Food assistance is available for all children 18 and under at many locations throughout the county. The summer meals are provided by school districts and other community organizations and registration is not required. Meals are served "grab and go" style to ensure social distancing. To find a location near you and the hours of service, text 876-876 or visit https://www.shfb.org/summermeals/ Additional food assistance services are available in the county at https://www.smcgov.org/food Moratorium on Residential Evictions Extended through August 31, 2020. The County Board of Supervisors approved, for a third time, the emergency regulation that places a countywide moratorium on the eviction of non-payment by residential tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board's action extends the moratorium through August 31, 2020. Tenants can learn more at https://bit.ly/30xJ3SV SSF General Plan Under Construction - Please Help! The City is creating a new 20-year strategic plan for South San Francisco called The General Plan, and your input is needed! Here's how you can help: Listening Sessions: City planning staff are holding a series of listening sessions (or virtual office hours) from 12-1 pm every Tuesday in August (starting on August 4th), for the community to share your thoughts about the future of South San Francisco (www.shapessf.net). These listening sessions will collect ideas from the public, and aspirations or concerns related to the General Plan and the future of our City. We hope you can join us. Zoom Meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87928768446? pwd=VzdYeXBTdW53M3Z0V001UTJua0dtZz09 Meeting ID: 879 2876 8446 Passcode: 863737 Phone: 669-900-6833 Caltrain South San Francisco Station Closure (8/29-8/30) The South San Francisco Caltrain station will be closed on Saturday, August 29 through Sunday, August 30 in order to complete necessary work for the Station Improvement Project.