Saturday, May 30, 2020
David P. Donery, Town Manager

Updated Public Health Orders

Marin County is moving into the next round of its COVID-19 pandemic response, with further re-openings under the shelter-in-place order.

As of June 1, outdoor retail, office space, outdoor dining, and curbside library services join child care and summer/sports camps as business sectors allowed to reopen to patrons and employees, under guidelines from Marin County Public Health.

News release: https://bit.ly/36I7YFR.

New guidelines for those industries to safely reopen are available at Marin Recovers: https://bit.ly/36Ilolf

Join Mayor Ford Greene along with Town Manager David Donery on a new, biweekly community forum called

OPEN TIME

June 3rd Featured Topic:
Summer Camp Planning in the age of COVID-19

OPEN TIME provides the chance to hear local information about issues being discussed, projects that are happening and about how our small town is coping during the age of COVID-19. Participants will be able to ask questions and make comments during the 30 minute program. Each forum will include a featured discussion regarding a local subject.

OPEN TIME forums will take place every other Wednesday. The forums begin at 5:00pm and are scheduled to run for 30 minutes. The next forum will be on June 3rd.

Featured Discussion: Summer Camp Planning in the age of COVID-19 with Community Services Director Dannielle Mauk. Learn the new realities of what summer camps will look like this summer under the Public Health Order guidelines, and hear about what is being planned by the San Anselmo Recreation Department.

OPEN TIME forums will be aired on the Zoom Webinar platform

Please click the link below to join the June 3rd webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85265023511

Or by telephone:
+1 669 900 6833

Webinar ID: 852 6502 3511

Participation Information: The Zoom Webinar platform utilizes a "raise hand" feature which notifies the host that you would like to speak. When your virtual hand is raised, you will be given time to speak when the opportunity arrives.

If accessing the meeting with a computer or smart phone, you will find the raise hand button at the top or bottom of your screen, depending on your device.here is also a Q&A button, which allows for participants to type out their questions
If using a landline, you would push *9 to raise your hand.

Town Council Meetings Live Streamed with Virtual Participation

The San Anselmo Town Council will continue to hold its meetings every second and fourth Tuesday at 7 PM, in order to continue to conduct essential Town business. These meetings offer remote viewing and participation so that the public can stay involved and engaged.

As always, all of our meetings are streamed live and are also played back on the government channel of your cable provider. We will also be using the Zoom platform for viewing and for public participation.

How to watch the upcoming Town Council meetings:
Online*:Town-Council-Meeting-Packets or https://cmcm.tv/watch
Local television: Tune in to Comcast Channel 27 and AT&T Channel 99

How to provide comment:
Before the meeting: email your comments to towncouncil@townofsananselmo.org no later than 3 pm on the day of the Town Council meeting.

During the meeting: The Zoom web link and instructions for participation will be placed on each agenda. Agenda packets are uploaded on Friday afternoons prior to the meetings before 5 PM. It will be available here.

The zoom platform utilizes a "raise hand" feature which notifies the host that you would like to speak and will be given time to speak when the opportunity arrives.

If accessing the meeting with a computer or smart phone, you will find the raise hand button at the top or bottom of your screen, depending on your device.
If using a landline, you would push *9 to raise your hand.

Brown Act Compliance During COVID-19

At the May 12, 2020 meeting, Mayor Greene asked Town Attorney Acevedo to conduct legal analysis of whether the Town was following the Brown Act by conducting meetings through the Zoom Platform.

At the May 26, 2020 meeting, Council directed staff to make the analysis publicly available. The legal analysis can be found here.

PG&E Wildfire Safety Webinar

Wednesday, June 10 - 5:30p.m to 7p.m.
PG&E is hosting a series of online webinars for anyone in Marin County who is interested in learning more about their Community Wildfire Safety Program. These virtual gatherings will allow community members to learn more about wildfire safety and emergency preparedness, meet with PG&E representatives, ask questions and share feedback. Learn more and find links to the webinar, video recording, and presentation.

PG&E Medical Baseline Program

The Medical Baseline Program, also known as Medical Baseline Allowance, is an assistance program for residential customers who have special energy needs due to qualifying medical conditions. To find out more about the program, go here.

Paint the Town Green for 2020 Senior Class!

Help us create a graduation the Drake Class of 2020 will never forget! Paint the town green to celebrate our special seniors. Starting June 1^st, decorate your home in Pirate green – signs, lights, flags and posters. Get creative – anything works. With your help this will be an amazing display of Pirate love!

Help us tell the COVID-19 Story in San Anselmo

The Spanish Flu of 1918 was not well documented locally. We found there were no photographs or other documentation to tell us, 100 years later, what it was like to live through it. We don't want that to happen with the pandemic of 2020. We want future generations to learn for themselves what life was like in the Ross Valley during this time. Help us tell our story by helping to document it.

We invite everyone to send a photo with a short paragraph to pandemic@sananselmohistory.org. Your photo can be of the quiet downtown, your family coping with the shelter in place, lines at the grocery store – pretty much anything that might capture your experience during this history time. Please include the following with your photo in the email submission:

Subject line of the email should be "Submission: Pandemic Story"
Date and location of the photo
A short title (e.g., An Abandoned Downtown, Our Family Under Stress, My Day at the Grocery Store)
Short paragraph (150 words or less) describing why you chose that photo, how your life has changed, or anything that might help future generations understand this unique time
You can choose to include your name or remain anonymous -- just let us know in your submission

Important: Please limit yourself to one submission. Photos should be high resolution (select largest/highest resolution possible when you send it in). Low resolution images will not meet archive criteria.

The Library, in partnership with the San Anselmo Historical Society and the Historical Commission, is building a public archive of our pandemic story. Please evaluate your privacy needs before you send us your content. Your content may appear on our website, in our social media, in exhibitions, and in formats and channels we can't even imagine will be available decades from now.

By sending us content, you represent that you own the content, it is original to you, and you give the Library, the Historical Museum, and the Historical Society the right to copy, display, and adapt the content in perpetuity in any media existing now or in the future.

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Click the yellow button above to view some of our virtual summer camps! Check back regularly for updates and upcoming events.

And don’t forget about our other weekly classes and events!

Free Golden Chair Yoga with David Knox – Every Thursday at 11:00am
Gardening and the Great Outdoors Reading and Discussion Group with Alexis Fineman – Every Tuesday at 4:00pm
Watercolors with Debra – Mondays and Wednesdays 10:30am-12:30pm
Chair Exercises with Pam – Every Wednesday at 1:00pm

E-mail kmacleod@townofsananselmo.org for Zoom links, passwords, and meeting IDs.

With the past weeks heat wave, we want to remind our older residents without air conditioning that sitting inside a closed hot home is very dangerous.
Body temperature regulation is more challenging as we age.

Why does this matter?
A reduced ability to maintain internal body temperature during heat or cold stress can increase the risk for hyperthermia or hypothermia. In addition, coping with these conditions can stress the cardiovascular system, which is also compromised with aging. Thus, when older adults are faced with the combined challenges of temperature and cardiovascular regulation, caution should be observed.

What can you do?

Sit in front of a fan or a fan blowing on a bowl of ice.
Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, as dehydration can have serious consequences.
If you have existing medical conditions like hypertension, diabetes or Parkinson’s disease, or you are particularly susceptible to heat-related injuries, you should be extra cautious.
Open a few windows or a door for fresh air exchange.
Contact Age-Friendly Chair, Sara Robinson, at 240-838-0868 if you need help getting a fan.
Call 911 if you are feeling flushed, lightheaded, fast breathing or nausea.

How to take care of your mental health

Calls are increasing to the county mental health crisis response lines. They are hearing from young adults, single adults, those with pre-Covid mental health issues and those who are feeling anxious, angry, frightened, frustrated, and sad. All of those feelings are normal during this pandemic according to mental health experts.

Yet as the crisis continues the prolonged isolation, fears about financial insecurity, separation from loved ones and even fears about returning to doctors for needed medical care trigger spikes in depression, anxiety, insomnia and substance abuse.
According to a recent poll by Kaiser Family Foundation almost 1 in 5 say the pandemic is having a “major impact” on their mental health.

Age-Friendly San Anselmo is here for you. Find helpful tips below that will help you during this Shelter-in-Place time.

If you don’t see what you need or you just need to talk to someone, call Sara at Age-Friendly San Anselmo and she will connect you to the resources and people who can assist you. Contact: 240-838-0868 or by email saraagefriendlySA@gmail.com

NEW: Virtual Buddy Program

During these challenging times, we want to continue to provide our community with resources for people of all ages to connect, learn, play, and grow. San Anselmo Recreation, along with Age Friendly San Anselmo, is offering a Virtual Buddy Program during this time of isolation and instability. This volunteer-driven program pairs a ’Big Buddy’ or tutor with a child under the age of 12 (Little Buddy) for purposes of providing social time and/or tutoring. If you are interested in volunteering as a big buddy, need some help with school work, or you’re looking for a virtual buddy to play games with, please click the link below. Buddies will be paired up based on age, interests, skill set and availability.

https://www.townofsananselmo.org/1410/Virtual-Buddy-Program

San Anselmo retail businesses are able to sell curbside!

To let everyone know the town is open for business, San Anselmo’s Economic Development Committee has created a series of lighthearted window posters that will encourage people to support our merchants while staying safe. This poster campaign is intended to appeal to San Anselmo’s sense of community and connection while highlighting that our businesses are ready to serve. Its tone and messaging are purposely upbeat in the face of a very serious situation. We hope you enjoy them. Look for new messages coming as the situation changes and more businesses are allowed to come back.

Support Your Local Businesses at these two sites

Please visit SanAnselmoShops.com and their sister site, SanAnselmoEats.com and support our local businesses as we all work to get through this challenging time.

Find a Path Back to Normalcy on MarinRecovers.com

Recovery process outlined with content from local municipalities and experts

Marin County is working with local industry advisory groups, comprised of subject matter experts from various fields, who will provide recommendations about how an industry – from retail to recreation to rental properties – could reopen in compliance with COVID-19 public health orders.

In addition to industry feedback, residents have access to a new online resource that provides step-by-step guidance on the gradual return to normalcy. The website, MarinRecovers.com, connects Marin County residents, business owners, community leaders, and public health professionals to collaborate on reopening the economy and community in a safe manner.

A public comment form allows individuals to provide feedback to advisory groups who are leading the campaign. Group members will work within that industry to educate the community, updating content on MarinRecovers.com and successfully implementing the plans.

There are three stages in the reopening of the local economy and relaxing of sheltering orders. They are:

Slow the Spread
Sequential Reopening Under the Stay-at-Home Order
End of the Stay-at-Home Order

Each stage of recovery has criteria that must be met before moving to the next phase to continue the successful mitigation of COVID-19 while building the infrastructure needed to move forward. To reach the final stage, enough immunity must be present in the community through natural immunity or immunization to allow unrestricted activity across all domains. Given COVID-19’s prevalence with no immunization in existence, it will take time to achieve that stage.

Each municipality in Marin will contribute content for MarinRecovers.com so there is one unified recovery resource for all Marin residents. The Marin County Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website will still remain the authority for local COVID-19 case data and medical information.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT TOWN OPERATIONS

NOTIFICATION OF CLOSURES OF TOWN PROGRAMS AND PUBLIC FACILITIES

In an effort to limit potential exposure and community spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), the Town of San Anselmo has made the difficult decision to close all indoor public facilities and provide as many services as possible online, by email and by phone.

For specific information about our departmental operations, please visit https://www.townofsananselmo.org/1408/16772/Town-Operations---COVID-19?activeLiveTab=widgets

Opportunities to Get Involved!

Getting involved in the Town is a great way to give back to our wonderful community and meet new friends. There are currently opportunities available on the Town’s Boards, Commission and Committees. Please visit https://www.townofsananselmo.org/175/Boards-Commissions for further information.

Saturday, May 30, 2020 David P. Donery, Town Manager