Supervisor Patrick Kennedy Updates: COVID Update, Free SmaRT Ride, Volunteer Opportunities
Sacramento County, California sent this bulletin at 02/11/2021 05:06 PM PST
Dear Friends:
Over the past few years I have been working on creating greater transparency and community review of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. This past Tuesday, at a meeting of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, the Board had a an opportunity to discuss the merits of a framework I developed to move this conversation forward, with a proposal to develop a Community Review Commission that would work with the county’s independent Inspector General.
The mission of the Community Review Commission is to improve public transparency and accountability with respect to the Sacramento County Sherriff’s Department and provide greater community interaction and communication with the Office of Inspector General. The cornerstone of the commission’s work is valued community engagement. The commission would provide ongoing analysis and oversight of the department’s policies, practices, and procedures, and advise the Board and the Inspector General on those findings. As proposed, the commission would perform its duties in a thorough, impartial, and transparent manner that promotes credibility, and enhances trust and respect. The commission will welcome community involvement and provide opportunities for robust community engagement. Here is a recent article from the Sacramento News & Review discussing the proposal: https://sacramento.newsreview.com/2021/02/08/watching-the-sheriff/.
At the February 9th meeting, the Board appointed a committee of two, including Supervisor Serna and me, that will further develop this proposal based upon comments, made by Board Members and members of the public, and return to the Board with the intent of giving county staff direction to develop an ordinance. Developing a commission such as this has been a goal of mine since elected to the Board in 2014. It is important and I believe this framework is a great step in the right direction. Please stay tuned to this newsletter for updates.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve our County. Stay Healthy, Stay Safe. Stay Happy.
Patrick
Public Health Order Update
On Feb. 6, the State of California updated its Blueprint for a Safer Economy tier structure purple tier criteria to allow indoor operations for places of worship – at a 25 percent capacity maximum with modifications that prohibit singing/chanting. In order to coincide with the state’s tier structure, Sacramento County has updated its public health order.
Effective immediately, Sacramento County’s Feb. 8 Health Order aligns with Purple/Tier 1 Widespread to continue some indoor and outdoor operations under reduced operational capacity, and supersedes the Jan. 25, 2021, Order.
In alignment with Purple Tier 1, the following sectors are permitted for OUTDOOR operations only with social distancing, face covering and sanitization:
- Cardrooms, satellite wagering
- Family Entertainment Centers (e.g. bowling alleys, miniature golf, batting cages, kart racing, skating rinks and arcades)
- Gyms and fitness centers
- Movie theaters (maximum 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer)
- Museums, zoos, aquariums
- Playgrounds, dog parks, skate parks and recreational facilities
- Restaurants
- Wineries
Bars, pubs, breweries and distilleries offering sit-down meals may operate outdoors conducted under a tent, canopy or other shelter as long as no more than two sides are enclosed with non-permeable walls and is classified as “outdoor” using CDPH outdoor business structure criteria.
In alignment with Purple Tier 1, the following sectors are open for INDOOR operations with social distancing, face covering, sanitization and *specific modifications:
- All retail (*maximum 25% capacity; grocery stores 50% capacity)
- Places of worship (maximum 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer; singing/chanting prohibited)
- Critical infrastructure
- Entertainment production, studios, broadcast
- Hair salons and barbershops
- Hotels and lodging
- Libraries (*maximum 25% capacity)
- Nail salons and electrolysis operations
- Personal care services (e.g. body waxing, estheticians, tattoo, massage)
- Professional sports (*without live audiences)
- Shopping centers (e.g. malls, destination centers, swap meets, excluding food courts and common areas) (*maximum 25% capacity)
Bars, pubs, breweries and distilleries are prohibited from operating except when serving sit-down, outdoor meals.
Schools
In alignment with CDPH requirements, schools (all grade levels) that have reopened for in-person instruction, either under a waiver or while Sacramento County was in Red Tier 2 (Sep. 29 – Nov. 10, 2020), are permitted to continue to conduct in-person instruction with mitigation measures in compliance with CDPH and Sacramento County Public Health. Counties must reach a COVID-19 adjusted case rate threshold established by the State of California (currently an adjusted case rate of less than 25 cases per 100,000 for grades K-6) before additional schools may reopen for in-person instruction. All organized youth and adult recreational sports, including school- and community-sponsored programs, and privately-organized clubs and leagues must abide by CDPH youth and adult sports requirements and guidance and must maintain mitigation measures (social distancing, face covering, sanitization, cohorts). In alignment with Purple Tier 1, only outdoor low-contact sports are permitted. Inter-team competitions are permitted for outdoor low-contact sports. Tournaments or competitions involving more than two teams are prohibited.
NOTE: The County is expecting to begin vaccinating educators as early as next week, depending on the availability of vaccinations.
This Order will take effect immediately and will be in effect until it is rescinded, superseded or amended in writing by the Health Officer of Sacramento County.
Please review the California Department of Public Health updated face covering mandate, which requires all people in California to wear face coverings when they are outside of the home, with specific exemptions. As part of the Sacramento County Health Order, it continues to align the County face covering Order with the State mandate.
“While we are vaccinating more people every week, we are still far from having enough vaccines for everyone that wants them. We need to remain vigilant in our mitigation measures in order to continue trending in the right direction, while we work to vaccinate everyone and keep our community safer,” said Sacramento County Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye.
For questions about the Public Health Order, call the Public Health hotline at (916) 875-2400. For complaints about unsafe practices at businesses (e.g. face coverings, social distancing), or violations of the Health Order, dial 3-1-1 or visit to the Sacramento County 311 Connect website, or email, SacCo311@custhelp.com.
For questions about vaccines in Sacramento County, visit the Vaccination Webpage.
First 5 Commission Passes Resolution for Racial Equity and Social Justice
The Feb. 1 meeting of the First 5 Sacramento Commission, on which Supervisor Kennedy serves, was a historic one, resulting in unanimous approval for a Resolution on Racial Equity and Social Justice.
The First 5 Sacramento Commission understands that the adverse impacts of racism begin prenatally, and are reflected in large, racially-based disparities in rates of maternal mortality, infant mortality, developmental and behavioral challenges, childhood asthma, lead poisoning and other health issues.
The resolution clearly articulates First 5’s intent to ensure racism has no place in the work of the commission. The adopted resolution is the road map to ensure concern for racial equity and social justice permeates everything First 5 Sacramento does and creates greater accountability.
This is a first step in First 5 Sacramento’s efforts to center racial equity, diversity and inclusion into the agency’s critical early childhood services. The resolution is the Commission’s pledge to actively and intentionally engage in work to dismantle racism both within and outside the First 5 network.
To learn more about the First 5 Sacramento Commission, visit their website.
Free Ride on SmaRT Ride Shuttles for Valentines Day
As Vice Chair of the SacRT Board of Directors, Supervisor Kennedy was happy to announce that, In recognition of Valentine’s Day, SacRT is offering a free ride on SmarRT Ride to any groups that present this flyer. Riders on the zero-emission electric SmaRT in the Franklin-South Sacramento and Downtown-Midtown-East Sacramento zones also have an opportunity to receive a FREE I ♥SacRT facemask donated from The Spread Love Project.
SmaRT Ride on-demand service is available Monday through Friday in nine zones throughout the Sacramento region. To request a ride, download the free SmaRT Ride app at the App Store or Google Play and learn more about SmaRT Ride at sacrt.com/apps/smart-ride/.
A mask or face covering is required on transit at all times. Learn more about COVID-19 precautions and our mask policy at sacrt.com/covid19.
Now Hiring for Teen Arts Council
The Crocker Art Museum's Block by Block team is excited to announce that we'll be hiring youth to create a Teen Arts Council at the Crocker Art Museum.
Are you between the ages of 14-17, have a passion for helping your community, and are interested in creating experiences that engage your fellow peers?!
Block by Block is creating Sacramento's first Teen Arts Council (TAC). The Teen Arts Council will consist of teens ages 14-17 from throughout the city of Sacramento. Together, youth will come together to discuss, and problem solve ideas around arts engagement and access for teens.
Each teen hired for the council will receive a monthly stipend of $150. Submit applications by February 17th!
Click here to apply.
Volunteers Needed for Book Giveaway
30,000 books are going to be given to 3,000 children, K-4th grades, attending public school in the Sacramento and Twin Rivers Unified School Districts through a collaboration with Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency’s Promise Zone, La Familia Counseling Center, the Sacramento Literacy Foundation and ProYouth and Families.
They are looking for volunteers to help distribute the books and are using SignUp.com to organize the volunteer shifts for the giveaway. If you are interested in signing up, you can do it in three easy steps:
1) Click this link to see our SignUp on SignUp.com.
2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.
3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com.
Note: SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.
UC Davis Health Advisory Board Recruiting New Members
About the Community Advisory Board The Community Advisory Board (CAB) is a representative group of volunteer members who live and work in the Sacramento region. The board advises UC Davis Health leaders on issues of interest to the broader community with a special focus on access to high-quality health care. Recruitment and selection of CAB members emphasize diverse perspectives; members are drawn from throughout the region to reflect the needs and concerns of various ethnic, economic and cultural groups within the greater Sacramento area.
Applications must be submitted to the UC Davis Government and Community Relations office by no later than February 19, 2021. Interviews will take place in March. To learn more about the CAB, click here. To fill out an application, click here.
Please Note: University of California employees or vendors currently engaged in business with the University of California, Davis are not eligible to serve on the CAB.
Questions? Please e-mail hs-community.relations@ucdavis.edu