* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. I'M NOT [00:00:01] SURPRISED. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE PRETTY [Virtual Town Hall Meeting] INFORMAL TONIGHT. UM, LIKE STARTED THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, LIKE WE DO EVERY COUNCIL MEETING. I'LL INTRODUCE SOME PEOPLE AND THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED AND START ASKING QUESTIONS. LET'S STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND AFTER THAT, REMAIN STANDING FOR A BRIEF MOMENT OF SILENCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. OKAY, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, WELL I'D LIKE TO START OFF BY INTRODUCING FRANK CARSON. HE'S OUR DIRECTOR OF RECREATION. HE'S GOT A VIDEO THAT HE'D LIKED TO SHOW BEFORE WE GET STARTED. THEN AFTER THAT WE'LL GO INTO QUESTIONS. OKAY. THANKS FRANK. SO IT'S BEEN A WILD COUPLE OF WEEKS IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS. AND WHEN I'M SITTING AROUND AND TALKING ABOUT THE STAFF TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU ALL ARE DOING OUT THERE. I'M, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S WE'RE VERY CLEAR ABOUT OR IT'S VERY OBVIOUS TO US, IS THAT WE'RE NOT USED TO BEING SO DISCONNECTED FROM YOU OR USED TO SEEING YOU IN THE LOBBY. WE'RE USED TO SEEING YOU COME INTO THE BUILDING. WE'RE USED TO TALKING WITH YOU ON THE PHONE WHERE HE USED TO SEE YOU AT COUNCIL MEETINGS, SEE YOU OUT AT VARIOUS EVENTS AT THE REC CENTERS, AND BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL BEING GOOD CITIZENS AND YOU'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING AND STAYING IN YOUR HOUSES, WE'RE NOT SEEING MUCH OF YOU, BUT THE WHEELS OF GOVERNMENT CONTINUE TO ROLL ON AND WE ARE STILL HERE TO PROTECT YOU IN THE CITY. WE'RE STILL HERE TO BE YOUR SERVANTS AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO ASK QUESTIONS. I KNOW THAT YOU PROBABLY HAVE LOTS OF LOTS OF QUESTIONS. I KNOW THAT IN MY HOUSE EVERYBODY HAS LOTS AND LOTS OF QUESTIONS. I AM HERE WITH OUR CITY MANAGER, GRAHAM MITCHELL. I'M HERE WITH OUR CHIEF OF POLICE, MIKE MOLTEN AND I'M AT BEAU WELLS ON THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF OKLAHOMA. BETWEEN THE THREE OF US, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. WE MAY NOT ALWAYS HAVE THE ANSWERS. I DO PROMISE YOU, I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH AND I'LL GIVE YOU AS MUCH INFORMATION AS I HAVE. EXCUSE ME. AND IF THERE'S SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW, I WILL TRY TO FIND OUT THE ANSWER AND GET BACK TO YOU. SO WHY DON'T WE GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED? ARE THERE QUESTIONS THAT ARE COMING IN? DO I NEED THEM QUITE HOW TO, HOW TO UM, ASK QUESTIONS? WAS THAT PRETTY? I CAN KIND OF TAKE THAT. GRANDPA'S GOING TO TAKE THAT. SO IF YOU GO TO THE CITY'S WEBSITE, THERE IS A FORM THAT YOU CAN FILL IN QUESTIONS AND AS THOSE QUESTIONS COME IN LIVE, UH, OUR CITY CLERK, ANGELA, I AGUILAR WILL ASK THOSE QUESTIONS AS IF YOU WERE HERE ASKING THAT QUESTION AND THEN WE'LL DO OUR BEST TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. SUPER. THANKS GRAHAM. ALL RIGHT. DO WE HAVE ONE? YES SIR. WE HAVE SEVERAL AT THIS MOMENT. THE FIRST QUESTION WAS SUBMITTED THROUGH OUR WEB PAGE AND IT READS, WHERE CAN WE GET A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE ACTUAL VERSUS PREDICTED NUMBERS FROM WHATEVER MODEL IS BEING USED BY THE GOVERNOR OF PEOPLE INFECTED AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN HOSPITAL DUE TO THE CORONA VIRUS? WELL, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND PART OF THE QUESTION I THINK ASSUMES THAT WE IN GOVERNMENT HAVE DIFFERENT INFORMATION THAN YOU HAVE THAT YOU'RE GETTING FROM THE NEWSPAPER OR YOU'RE GETTING FROM THE INTERNET. [00:05:01] THE TRUTH IS WE DON'T, WE, WE GET THE SAME KIND OF NUMBERS THAT YOU'RE GETTING EVERY DAY. UM, SO WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING MORE THAN YOU DO ABOUT THE NUMBERS OF CASES BECAUSE IN AMERICA WE HAVE A LAWS CALLED HIPAA LAWS, WHICH ARE PRIVACY LAWS. EVEN IF WE DID HAVE SPECIFIC INFORMATION LIKE WHO THE PEOPLE WERE THAT WERE SICK OR WHERE THEY LIVE, WE COULDN'T GIVE OUT THAT INFORMATION. BUT RIGHT NOW I THINK THAT WE HAVE HAD TWO CASES FROM THE CITY OF ALCOHOL. IS THAT RIGHT, GRAHAM? WE HAD TO, BUT I, I THINK, UH, OUR LATEST COUNT HAS IS UP TO SEVEN ACTUALLY. IT WAS THAT TODAY. YES. THAT WAS ACTUALLY, YEAH, I THINK LAST NIGHT THAT GOT RELEASED. OH, WE'RE UP TO EIGHT NOW I'M BEING TOLD OR NINE AND I WOULD EXPECT IF YOU LOOK AT THE WAY THAT THE NUMBERS HAVE EXPONENTIALLY GROWN IN, IN OTHER PLACES LIKE ITALY, UM, YOU SHOULD EXPECT TO SEE THAT NUMBER GROW SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS TO THE NEXT FEW WEEKS UNTIL IT HITS UP A PEAK AND THEN WE'LL START GOING DOWN. THE NEXT QUESTION READS, IS THERE A WAY TO FIND OUT WHERE IN OKLAHOMA, THE CASES OF COVEN 19 ARE? ALL RIGHT. CAN I GO BACK TO WHERE WE JUST SAID WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THEY WERE AND HONESTLY BY LAW WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TELL ANYBODY. PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO THEIR PRIVACY OF THEIR RIGHTS, THEIR MEDICAL PRIVACY. BUT WE CAN'T TELL YOU THAT WHEN SOMEBODY IS SICK WITH CODE 19, WHEN THEY TEST POSITIVE, THE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT GETS INVOLVED AND ALL PRECAUTIONS ARE TAKEN TO NOT ONLY ISOLATE THAT PERSON BUT THE CONTACT ALL THE PEOPLE THAT THAT PERSON HAD CONTACT WITH SO THAT THEY CAN THEN GO INTO SELF ISOLATION AND IT CAN BE TESTED TO SEE IF THEY HAVE THE DISEASE AND ALL THE SAME KIND OF THINGS WE WOULD DO WITH ANY COMMUNICABLE DISEASE. UH, THE, UH, THERE ARE PROTOCOLS FOR ALL THIS AND THEY WORK PRETTY WELL. UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THIS POINT. THE NEXT QUESTION IS ALSO FROM FACEBOOK, WHO WILL BE ENFORCING THIS SMALL BUSINESS THAT ARE NOT ESSENTIAL TO CLOSE UP? ARE THERE PLANS TO NOTIFY SMALL BUSINESSES TO OFFER SUGGESTIONS ABOUT CHANGING THEIR STORE HOURS? GREAT QUESTION. I WANT TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION AND I WANT EVERYBODY ON THE PANEL TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION BECAUSE THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS. SO THE QUESTION REALLY IS WHAT THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER TO SHELTER IN PLACE. WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT NON ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES SHOULD CLOSE? AND THAT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION BECAUSE THE CONCEPT OF BE A, AN ESSENTIAL OR NONESSENTIAL BUSINESS, EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE SOME GUIDELINES GIVEN BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, SOME GUIDELINES GIVEN BY THE STATE GOVERNMENT, THEY SEEM TO BE PRETTY FLUID AND THEY SEEM TO BE PRETTY OPEN TO INTERPRETATION. I WAS JUST MENTIONING FOR EXAMPLE, THAT IN SAN FRANCISCO RIGHT NOW, UM, MARIJUANA DISPENSARY IS BOTH MEDICAL AND RECREATIONAL ARE CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL, WHEREAS IN MORE CONSERVATIVE PLACES, PERHAPS THEY'RE NOT CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL. SO THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH IDEOLOGY, RIGHT? IT'S A THE QUESTION REALLY FOR US ISN'T SO MUCH WHAT BUSINESSES ARE ESSENTIAL AND WHAT'S NOT ESSENTIAL. WE'VE DECIDED NOT TO GET DEEPLY INTO THAT. WHAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT WE FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING. SO OUR MAIN CONCERN IS THAT THERE NOT BE A LOT OF PEOPLE GATHERING TOGETHER IN ANY PLACE WHERE THERE'D BE A BUSINESS OR A CHURCH OR A SCHOOL OR ANY PLACE OR EVEN IN A CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS. UM, SO IF WE HEAR ABOUT, SAY A BUSINESS IS HAVING A UH, UH, A BIG BINGO BINGO NIGHT THERE THEY ARE INVITING 500 PEOPLE TO PLAY BINGO. UM, THAT'S SOMETHING WE WOULD GET INVOLVED IN. WE WOULD SEND THE POLICE OUT THERE. THEY WOULD BREAK UP THAT GATHERING. THEY MIGHT GIVE A CITATION DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND THERE MIGHT BE SOME FINES INVOLVED IN THAT. MMM. WHERE IT COMES DOWN TO, PEOPLE OFTEN ASK US, WELL, THE YOGURT SHOP IS OPEN. THE FROZEN YOGURT SHOP IS OPEN. THEY'RE NOT AN ESSENTIAL BUSINESS. ARE YOU GOING TO GO OUT AND FIND THAT, THAT BUSINESS? WELL, WE'RE LOOKING FOR A COUPLE OF THINGS. FIRST OFF, WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GATHERING THAT YOGURT SHOP. IS THERE, ARE THEY LETTING IN TWO PEOPLE AT A TIME, THREE PEOPLE AT A TIME, AND THEN BRING MORE PEOPLE IN? ARE THEY BRINGING IN 20 OR 30 PEOPLE AT A TIME? ARE THERE PEOPLE STANDING IN LINE, SHOULDER TO SHOULDER EITHER OR GIVING EACH OTHER THE VIRUS? ALL THOSE THINGS COME INTO ACCOUNT A LOT MORE THAN WHETHER OR NOT THE THING THAT THEY'RE SELLING IS SOMETHING THAT IS ESSENTIAL OR NOT ESSENTIAL. THAT IS SO HARD TO REALLY DETERMINE THAT WE'VE DECIDED TO REALLY FOCUS MOSTLY ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS OF BRINGING A LOT OF PEOPLE TO AND . AT THAT POINT [00:10:01] I'M GOING TO PASS IT OFF TO, TO OUR CITY MANAGER GRAHAM AND LET HIM EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. YEAH, CERTAINLY. THANKS MAYOR. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, AS AS ALL OF CALIFORNIANS LEARNED ABOUT THE STAY IMPLORE SHELTER IN PLACE ORDER FROM THE GOVERNOR, WE WERE LEARNING AT THE EXACT SAME TIME. SO WE DIDN'T HAVE A HEADS UP ON THIS. WE WERE THAT ENTIRE NIGHT SEARCHING WHAT ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES MEANT. UH, WE QUICKLY DOWNLOADED THE REFERENCE THAT THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE HAD FOUR ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES. UH, THERE'S 16 CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE BUSINESSES THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS DETERMINED. AND FRANKLY THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, A LOT OF BUSINESSES THAT CAN MAKE A STRONG CASE THAT THEY ARE AN ESSENTIAL BUSINESS. SO IT'S HARD FOR US TO BE IN THE, IN THE BUSINESS OF CLARIFYING WHAT IS WHAT WE DID GET JUST WORD THIS EVENING THAT THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, THERE'S A WEBSITE AND WE'RE GOING TO POST IT ON OUR CITY WEBSITE, BUT IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT WHAT IS A CRITICAL OR ESSENTIAL BUSINESS, YOU CAN GO THERE AND THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE IS COMMITTED TO HELP RESOLVE SOME OF THAT BUT IN THE MEANTIME, AS THE MAYOR STATED, WE'RE JUST NOT EQUIPPED TO OPINE AS TO WHAT'S ESSENTIAL AND NOT ESSENTIAL. CLEARLY THERE ARE BUSINESSES THAT ARE NOT IN THE LIST AND AND THOSE ARE ARE ONES THAT WE WILL TALK TO BUT IF IT'S A, IF IT'S A BUSINESS THAT'S A HARD CASE TO MAKE. THEN WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS ON THE SOCIAL DISTANCING. WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS ON MEETING THE OTHER REGULATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPOSED BY NOT ONLY THE STATE BUT ALSO THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO. I DON'T KNOW IF THE CHIEF WANTS TO WEIGH IN ON ANYTHING AS WELL. WHEN I, WHEN I TALKED ABOUT THE YOUR SHOP B B NOT ESSENTIAL. PEOPLE SAY, WELL, FROZEN YOGURT SHOP COULD BE, WELL ACTUALLY BASED UPON THE, BY THE GUIDELINES, IT'S THE RESTAURANT. CORRECT? IT IS, IT IS EXEMPT. THAT'S RIGHT. AND, AND HOW WOULD AND HOW WOULD WE SAY, WELL, YOU ARE A BETTER RESTAURANT WITH BETTER, HEALTHIER FOODS SO YOU CAN STAY OPEN AND YOU'RE A RESTAURANT THAT ONLY SERVES FROZEN CUSTARDS YOU SHOULDN'T STAY UP. AND THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT FOR US TO DETERMINE. YEAH. SO NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COFFEE SHOPS AND DONUT SHOPS AND PASTRY SHOPS. AND THEN WHAT IF YOU ARE A STORE THAT SELLS EVERYTHING ELSE AND YOU ALSO SAW COFFEE AND SOME DONUTS AND IT GETS COMPLICATED. IT GETS COMPLICATED. CHIEF, DID YOU WANT TO WEIGH IN ON ANYTHING? I WOULD JUST AGREE WITH IT. AND THEN I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD THAT VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE IS ESSENTIAL IN THIS. UH, THE OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT DOES NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO GO TO EVERY BUSINESS IN THE CITY TO ENSURE THEY'RE COMPLYING. NO CITY DOES. UM, EDUCATION IS OUR FIRST POLICY. IF EDUCATION WEREN'T TO WORK, UH, WE COULD GO INTO AN ENFORCEMENT MODE. AND THEN THE LAST THING I WOULD LIKE TO ADD IS WE HAVE, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE GOTTEN SOME CALLS, MOST OF BUSINESSES THAT WE SEE ARE, ARE COMPLYING BY ENACTING SOCIAL DISTANCING MAJORS. I'D LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING ELSE TO, TO ALL THIS LITTLE COMMON SENSE. UM, I KNOW THAT YOU DON'T NEED GOVERNMENT TO TELL YOU HOW TO LIVE. I NEED GOVERNMENT DOESN'T HAVE TO MAKE ALL THE DECISIONS FOR YOU AND WE, THIS IS A REAL CRISIS. WE HAVE TO ACT, BUT ALL THE GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS, THE WALL AREN'T GOING TO SAVE YOU FROM THIS. YOU NEED TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS ON YOUR OWN. WE, ALL OF US HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR OUR FAMILY TO STAY IN TOUCH, TO RESIST THAT TEMPTATION, TO GO OUT, TO MEET WITH OUR COUSINS AND MEET WITH OUR FAMILY. THEY BRING THE GRANDKIDS OVER TO SEE THE OLDER FOLKS. WE ALL WANT TO DO THOSE THINGS. IT'S IN OUR NATURE. BUT REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT'S A, UH, A BUSINESS THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE OPEN OR IT SHOULD BE CLOSED, MY RECOMMENDATION TO YOU IS TO STAY HOME. YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT SAFE AND A BUSINESS JUST BECAUSE IT'S EXEMPT THAT THE CURL VIRUS IS A LOT MORE LIKELY TO INFECT YOU IF YOU GO OUT AND BUY THINGS AND SOCIALIZE WITH OTHER PEOPLE THAT IF YOU STAY HOME, MY RECOMMENDATION IS STAY HOME AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN AND COOK YOUR OWN FOOD AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. DON'T LET PEOPLE GO OUT AND INTERACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND THEN BRING THOSE JURORS BACK IN THE HOUSE. WE, WE HAVE A YOUNG GUY IN OUR HOUSE, WHAT AM I? MY YOUNGEST SON IS A, I'M NOT GOING TO PICK ON HIM, BUT HE'S AT THAT AGE WHERE YOU WANT TO GO OUT AND SOCIALIZE WITH FRIENDS AT NIGHT AND WE'VE HAD, WE'VE ASKED HIM NOT TO BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH HE'LL BE FINE, THE CHANCES ARE THAT HE'LL GO OUT, SOCIALIZE WITH SOMEBODY, BRING THAT GERM BACK INTO THE HOUSE AND NOW MOM AND DAD GETS SICK AND THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A HARDER TIME RECOVERING FROM THIS [00:15:01] VIRUS THAT HE WOULD. SO IT'S SOMETHING WE ALL HAVE TO WORK ON, BUT I KIND OF WANT TO GET OUT OF THIS CONCEPT OF BEING REALLY FOCUSED ON WHAT BUSINESS SHOULD BE OPEN AND WHAT BUSINESS SHOULD BE CLOSED AND WHAT THE, WHAT THE PUNISHMENT IS FOR THAT AND WHAT, WHAT THE REMEDY IS. RATHER THE REMEDY IS THAT WE ALL SAY HOW AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE YOU DESIGNATE ONE PERSON TO GO TO THE STORE, THEY GO TO THE STORE ONCE A WEEK IF THEY, IF YOU HAVE TO. MY GUESS IS THAT MOST OF YOU HAVE ALREADY STOCKED UP ON FOOD SUPPLIES. SO, UM, MY ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOU IS TO NOT GET IN THE WEEDS ON THINKING ABOUT THESE BUSINESSES AS MUCH AS THINKING ABOUT PROTECTING YOURSELVES. ALL RIGHT. ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO JUMP IN ON ANY OF THAT? OKAY. UM, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT QUESTION. THE NEXT QUESTION IS THERE IS SO MUCH TRASH ALL OVER THE STREETS. SHOULD IT BE PICKED UP TO HELP NOT SPREAD THE ANY POTENTIAL DISEASE? THAT WAS A GOOD QUESTION. SO THE QUESTION WAS THERE'S A LOT OF TRASH ON THE STREETS. IS THAT GOING TO IMPACT THE SPREAD OF THE DISEASE? AND WHAT SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THAT AND I'M GOING TO PASS THAT ONTO OUR CITY MANAGER. WE DON'T THINK THAT THAT TRASH STREET IS PROBABLY A WAY THAT THIS DISEASES IS, I'M TRANSFERRED FROM A PERSON TO A PERSON. HOWEVER WE HAVE NOTICED THAT AS WELL AND PART OF THAT IS JUST DUE TO THE RAINS IS RAINY SEASON COMES. WE SPEND A LOT OF OUR PUBLIC WORK STAFF FOCUSING ON THE RAIN AND OUR CHANNELS AND THINGS RELATED TO RAIN AND WE HAD A RECENT SINKHOLES, SO THAT'S TAKEN A LOT OF OUR STAFF NOW THAT SOME OF THOSE ISSUES HAVE BEEN RESOLVED. WE'VE PUT A LOT OF OUR ATTENTION BACK ON CLEANING OUR STREETS. WE HAVE A GREAT CONTRACT WITH ECE TLC THAT HE HELPS REMOVE LARGE ITEMS AND OTHER TRASH THROUGH THE COMMUNITY AND SO WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSING ON THAT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS BECAUSE WE HAVE NOTICED THE THE CITY IS HURTING AFTER THESE RAINSTORMS. WAIT, WASTE MANAGEMENT IS OUR CONTRACTED A WASTE PROVIDER. THEY'RE STILL WORKING, RIGHT? THEY'RE NOT THERE. THEY ARE STILL WORKING. CORRECT. SO THEY PICK YOU UP THE TRASH IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING LARGE THAT HAS TO BE PICKED UP, WASTE MANAGEMENT COME AND DO THAT, RIGHT? CORRECT. SO YOU SHOULD CALL, YOU SHOULD CALL WASTE MANAGEMENT IF YOU NEED THEM TO COME OUT. UH, BUT YES, THE, THE UH, TRASH THAT'S ON THE STREETS IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AND WE WILL, UH, DEFINITELY FOCUS ON THAT. AND IF YOU SEE THAT THAT'S LIKE GETTING BETTER, PLEASE CALL IT. THERE IS SOMEBODY HERE TO ANSWER YOUR PHONE CALL AND WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THAT. THE NEXT QUESTION FROM THE WEB PAGE, THEY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE MAYOR IS DOING REGARDING THE HOMELESS PEOPLE DURING THE CORONA VIRUS OUTBREAK AND THEY HEARD YOU ON THE NEWS AND THEY, YEAH, THEY'RE ASKING ABOUT THE HOMELESS CITIZEN AND ALSO, UM, REGARDING THE GUN SHOPS STAYING OPEN. UM, LET ME SEE. I'M SORRY. REGARDING KEEPING OUR GUN SHOPS OPEN, WOULD THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT HIM OR OTHER CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE GUN SHOP OWNERS? AND HOW IS THE CITY OF OKLAHOMA MONITORING THE HOMELESS POPULATION FOR COBIT 19. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S A TWO PART QUESTION. ONE ABOUT THE HOMELESSNESS AND ONE ABOUT GUN SHOPS. I'LL GET THE GUN SHOP ONE. BRETT GRAHAM, IF YOU WANTED THE HOMELESSNESS ONE. LET ME, LET ME START WITH THE GUN SHOP ONE. SO THE QUESTION WAS I THINK TO ANY OF THE, ARE ANY OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, GUN SHOP OWNERS? AND THE ANSWER IS TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NO. UH, I'M NOT, UH, PHIL'S HEARSAY. HE'S NOT, I DON'T BELIEVE ANYBODY HAS ANY INTEREST IN A GUNSHOT. SO I WANT TO EXPLAIN HOW I GOT INVOLVED IN THIS CONTROVERSIAL ABOUT THE GUNSHOT. AND IT'S KIND OF GOES BACK TO THE LAST DISCUSSION THAT WE JUST HAD. UM, I HEARD A COUNTY SUPERVISOR SAY AT A PRESS CONFERENCE THAT THE GUN SHOPS WERE OR NOT, UM, EXEMPT BUSINESSES AND NEED TO BE CLOSE. WELL THAT KIND OF PEAKED MY CURIOSITY BECAUSE WE HAVE DOZENS OF BUSINESSES THAT PEOPLE THINK SHOULD BE CLOSED THAT ARE NOT CLOSED THERE. THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING AUTO SALES AND PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING MOTORCYCLE SALES AND PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING, UM, SELLING AUTO PARTS AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SELLING, LIKE I SAID, PASTRIES AND FROZEN YOGURT AND PET PET SUPPLY SHOPS. AND ALL OF THESE BUSINESSES ARE SAYING I'M ESSENTIAL FOR THESE REASONS. AND SOME OF THEM ARE A LITTLE BIT OUT THERE AND SOME OF THEM ARE, ARE PRETTY, PRETTY GOOD REASONING. UM, SO I WAS CURIOUS AS TO WHY THAT A POLITICAL PERSON WOULD CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON GUN SHOPS WHEN ALL OF THESE OTHER BUSINESSES WERE ALSO OPEN. AND IT SEEMED PRETTY CLEAR TO ME THAT THIS IS A POLITICAL AGENDA. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A BIG THING IN AMERICA RIGHT NOW. WHETHER OR NOT GUNS ARE A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING OR WHETHER [00:20:01] OR NOT PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO OWN GUNS OR PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE RIGHT TO SELL GUNS. AND THAT'S ALL PART OF THE CONSTITUTION. AND IT'S A BIG, BIG DEBATE THAT'S DEALT WITH AT THE LEGISLATIVE LEVEL IS DEALT WITH AT THE COURT LEVEL. AND I THINK IT'S A MISTAKE TO TRIVIALIZE THIS VERY IMPORTANT THING THAT THIS VIRUS, BY TRYING TO SCORE POLITICAL POINTS AND TRYING TO CLOSE A PARTICULAR BUSINESS THAT YOU DON'T LIKE BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE IT WHEN YOU IGNORE ALL THESE OTHER BUSINESSES THAT ALSO NEEDED TO BE CLOSE. AND I WAS POINTING THAT OUT THAT THE GUN STORES HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTION AND THAT WE SHOULD NOT TAKE THAT LIGHTLY AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THAT WE SHOULDN'T, SHOULDN'T POLITICIZE THIS AND START GETTING INVOLVED INTO THE DISCUSSION OF WHETHER GUNS ARE GOOD OR BAD IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS VIRUS ISSUE. AND I, I STAND BY THAT. AND AS FAR AS THE HOMELESS, YEAH, I'LL PASS IT OFF THE GROUND. CERTAINLY LET ME TACKLE A FEW THINGS. ONE IS, UM, THE CITY, A LOT OF TIMES OUR HANDS ARE TIED IN WHAT WE CAN DO OR WHAT WE CAN'T DO ABOUT HOMELESSNESS. BEING HOMELESS IS NOT AGAINST THE LAW. UM, BUT THERE ARE ILLEGAL THINGS THAT, THAT PEOPLE DO, WHETHER YOU'RE HOMELESS OR NOT, THAT WE'VE CRACKED DOWN ON. AND WE'RE TAKING A PRETTY AGGRESSIVE APPROACH TO THINGS LIKE DRINKING IN THE PARK OR URINATING IN THE PARK. AND SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT IN OUR PARK RANGERS ARE FOCUSING ON. I, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE ALSO DO A LOT OF OUTREACH. WE WORK WITH, UH, THE REGIONAL TASK FORCE ON HOMELESSNESS, THE EAST COUNTY HOMELESS TASK FORCE. UH, OVER THE LAST YEAR, UH, THROUGH OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS, WE'VE MADE ABOUT 22 OUTREACH CONTACTS PER WEEK TO HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS, HELPING THEM TO FIND ACCESS TO HOUSING, ACCESS TO RECOVERY, ACCESS TO FOOD. UM, SO WE'RE VERY AGGRESSIVE IN REACHING OUT AND TRYING TO FIND FOLKS HELP THAT ARE LOOKING FOR HELP. WE ALSO ARE INUNDATED WITH TRASH THAT IS LEFT BEHIND AND WE CAN ATTRIBUTE A LOT OF IT FROM THE HOMELESS JUST RECENTLY LOOKING AT WHAT WE'VE THROWN AWAY OR DISCARDED ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN LEFT IN THE STREET, ABOUT 176 TONS OF DEBRIS HAVE BEEN THROWN AWAY IN THIS PAST YEAR BY CITY STAFF. AND THAT'S A, A HUGE BURDEN ON US AS, AS TAXPAYERS. AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE FOCUSING ON THAT AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING TO US. BUT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, UM, OUR HOMELESS POPULATION IS, UM, MAYBE MORE VULNERABLE THAN OTHERS THAT DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO SHELTER IN PLACE. THEY DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO GO TO. AND FINALLY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA HAS STEPPED UP AND IS HELPING CITIES. I'M PROUD AND EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE STATE HAS DISTRIBUTED THREE POINT, HAVE THE NUMBER RIGHT HERE. UM, THREE POINT $6 MILLION TO THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO FOR HOMELESS. HOW OFFER HOUSING FOR THE HOMELESS AND ONE POINT $7 MILLION TO THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO THROUGH THE REGIONAL TASK FORCE ON HOMELESSNESS TO HELP CITIES THAT ARE NOT THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO TO ADDRESS THIS CRITICAL ISSUE. WE JUST DON'T HAVE A FUNDING SOURCE TO FOR THIS. BUT NOW, UM, THE CORONA VIRUS HAS CREATED THIS EMERGENCY AND WE ARE ACTUALLY GETTING SOME MONIES THAT ARE FLOWING INTO THE CITY OF EL CAHONE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALSO DONE IS WE'VE REQUESTED HANDWASHING STATIONS. WE'VE HAVE, UH, THREE OF THEM. CURRENTLY WE'VE REQUESTED ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE OTHERS. BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, ALL OF OUR PARKS ARE CURRENTLY OPEN. THEY ALL HAVE RESTROOMS. THEY ALL HAVE SOAP DISPENSERS. AND SO THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS TO WASH YOUR HANDS WHETHER YOU'RE HOMELESS OR NOT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT HAND-WASHING IS AN IMPORTANT, UH, WAY TO FIGHT AGAINST THE SPREAD OF THIS VIRUS. OKAY. CHIEF, DID YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT? THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD IS THAT WE HAVE BEEN AND STILL CONTINUE TO CONNECT THE, OUR HOMELESS POPULATION OF RESOURCES ON A DAILY BASIS. YEAH. AND WE'RE REALLY ACUTELY AWARE OF FAT THAT A LOT OF, UM, THE BIG PROBLEM WITH THIS COVEN VIRUS IS PEOPLE THAT HAVE WHAT WE CALL COMORBIDITIES. COMORBIDITIES MEANS THAT YOU HAVE MEDICAL ONGOING CHRONIC MEDICAL PROBLEMS LIKE DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, ASTHMA, CLPD. AND WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF OUR HOMELESS PEOPLE HAVE AT LEAST ONE OR TWO OF THESE, THESE CONDITIONS. SO WE'RE WATCHING VERY CLOSELY FOR ANY SIGNS OF ILLNESS SO THAT WE CAN GET FROM TREATMENT BECAUSE EARLY TREATMENT IS GOING TO BE CRITICAL IN PROTECTING THEM AND SAVING THEIR LIVES. AND I, I KID OURSELVES, UM, PEOPLE THAT ARE LIVING ON THE STREETS ARE GOING TO HAVE A TOUGHER TIME FIGHTING THIS VIRUS THAN PEOPLE THAT HAVE A WARM BED. SO THIS IS A CHALLENGE FOR US. IT'S A CHALLENGE FOR THEM. AND I THINK EVERYBODY'S WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE AS MUCH SAFETY AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. AGAIN, LIKE GRAHAM SAID IN THE BEGINNING, [00:25:02] IT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED THAT HOMELESSNESS IS NOT ALWAYS A LACK OF CHOICES. UM, WE HAVE BEDS, WE HAVE PLACES TO PUT PEOPLE RIGHT NOW. WE CAN GET MOST PEOPLE OFF THE STREET IF THEY WANT TO GET OFF THE STREET. I, MOST PEOPLE ARE REFUSING TO GET TREATMENT. THEY, IT'S A LIFESTYLE THAT THEY'RE CHOOSING TO LIVE. AND I KNOW THAT'S CONTROVERSIAL. I DON'T MEAN TO GET CONTROVERSIAL ABOUT IT, BUT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE WOULD BE HAPPIER IF THESE PEOPLE WERE IN A BED AND THESE PEOPLE WERE IN A WARM, DRY PLACE, BUT THEY'RE NOT WANTING TO DO THAT. AND IN AMERICA YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS AS REGARDS TO THAT. SO WE ARE DOING WHAT WE CAN TO PROTECT PEOPLE'S HEALTH BUT STILL PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS. SO IT'S A BALANCE. RIGHT. THAT'S QUESTION. THIS QUESTION IS FOR CHIEF MOLTEN. THAT'S A QUESTION FROM CINDY E WHY WON'T YOU RETURN MY CALLS? I, I DON'T KNOW OF ANY COLD. NEXT QUESTION IS DOES THIS SMALL MOTELS GET A RELIEF ON TOT LIKE THE MARRIOTT AND EL CAHONE ESPECIALLY IN THIS TIME OF NEED WITH SUCH LOW OCCUPANCY? YOU KNOW, I WANT TO PASS THIS UP TO OUR CITY MANAGER. CERTAINLY THE . WE HAVE A DEVELOP THE CITY HAS A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WITH THE MARRIOTT COURTYARD, THE COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT AND THAT WAS PART OF THE ABILITY TO ATTRACT THAT HOTEL TO THE SITE. WE DON'T HAVE AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER MOTELS. WE ARE HOPING THAT THROUGH BOTH THE FEDERAL LEGISLATION IS SOME STATE LEGISLATION THAT THERE WILL BE BUSINESS RELIEF THAT WILL ASSIST ALL BUSINESSES. AND AS WE GET THAT INFORMATION, WE'LL BE PUTTING THAT ONTO OUR WEBSITE. UM, WE'LL BE REACHING OUT TO A LOT OF BUSINESSES TO HELP THEM ACCESS THAT RESOURCE. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITY HAVE AS MUCH ACCESS TO THOSE FUNDS. IS EVERYBODY ELSE. AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE INCUMBENT ON CITY STAFF TO ENSURE OUR BUSINESSES CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. OKAY. NO, I'M GOING TO KIND OF GO OFF TOPIC. UH, CAUSE YOU, YOU BROUGHT UP THE QUESTION OF ECONOMICS. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY GOING TO HAVE A HUGE ECONOMIC IMPACT ON PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE CITY AND PEOPLE LIVE ALL THROUGHOUT AMERICA, ALL THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. UM, WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY ALL THE ECONOMIC THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO HAPPEN AS FAR AS GIVING SOME RELIEF. THERE'S TALK ABOUT TAX BREAKS, THERE'S TALK ABOUT PUSHING BACK THE TAX DEADLINE TO PAY YOUR OWN TAXES. THERE'S TALK ABOUT, UH, CHANGING THE WAY WE PAY PROPERTY TAXES. UM, CERTAINLY THERE'S BEEN TALK FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL ABOUT INCREASING THE BENEFITS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT AND MAKING THOSE EASIER TO GET. AND I KNOW THAT THE UNEMPLOYMENT DEPARTMENT IS SEEING A MASSIVE INCREASE IN PEOPLE ARE REQUESTING BENEFITS. ALL OF THAT I BELIEVE IS COMING. UH, I WISH I COULD GIVE YOU MORE SOLID INFORMATION ON THAT. IT'S ALL KIND OF JUST BEEN THROWN OUT THERE AGAINST THE WALL RIGHT NOW. AND IT'S, IT'S ALL IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE. GRANDMA. DO YOU KNOW MUCH MORE THAN I KNOW ABOUT THAT. NOT MUCH MORE OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGERS IN THE AUDIENCE AND HE'S BEEN TRACKING THE LEGISLATION PRETTY CAREFULLY, BUT AS WE GET INFORMATION WE'LL BE PUTTING IT UP ON OUR WEBSITE AND HELPING OUR COMMUNITY. AGAIN, ACCESS THAT, THAT THE RESOURCES YOU AGREE WITH ME THOUGH THAT THE, THESE FUNDS ARE COMING AND THAT, THAT THERE WILL BE SOME HELP FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE FINANCIALLY? I BELIEVE SO. I THINK SO TOO. UM, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE ASK ME A LOT ABOUT IS ARE WE GOING TO MAKE SOME KIND OF AN ED THAT SAYS PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO PAY THEIR RENT OR THAT THEY CAN'T BE EVICTED? UH, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S THAT WE HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO THAT. UM, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE COURTS ARE GOING TO BE EVICTING PROCESSING EVICTION PAPERWORK, BUT I CAN'T GUARANTEE YOU THAT THAT WON'T HAPPEN. AND I DON'T THINK THAT THE CITY OF ALCOHOL HAS ANY JURISDICTION IN THAT MATTER, SO WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE WEIGHING IN ON THAT. GRAHAM, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? I THINK, I THINK A LOT OF CITIES HAVE JUMPED AT THIS AND I'M THIS POLICY AND I DON'T, I DON'T THINK IT'S BEEN MANIFESTED AS A PROBLEM YET. I MEAN, IT COULD BE A PROBLEM, BUT IT SEEMS, IT SEEMS TO BE A REACTION TO A PROBLEM THAT CURRENTLY DOESN'T EXIST. THAT WOULD BE MY PERSPECTIVE. AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH REGULATION OR, OR AUTHORITY WE HAVE IN PROPERTY RIGHTS. AND I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT, MR MAYOR, THE COURTS ARE NOT TAKING THESE AT THIS TIME. AND SO IT'S A BIT MUTE MOOT. WE THINK THAT THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER GIVES SOME PROTECTION. ONE THING THAT WE'RE ASKING OUR RESIDENTS TO DO, IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE VULNERABLE, UM, IN THIS SITUATION WE CONTRACT WITH, UM, CSA AND WE HAVE THEIR PHONE NUMBER ON OUR WEBSITE AND WE CAN, UM, HELP [00:30:01] ARBITRATE OR HELP MITIGATE OR HELP NEGOTIATE SITUATIONS BETWEEN A LANDLORD AND A TENANT AND THEY HELP WITH SOME DISPUTES. AND SO WE'D, WE'D ADVOCATE THAT AVENUE BEFORE PASSING A, A BROAD SWEEPING POLICY THAT MAY NOT HAVE AN IMPACT OR MAY HAVE SOME UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. AND THIS IS JUST ADVICE FROM ME, BUT MY ADVICE TO YOU IS IF YOU CAN PAY YOUR RENT OR PAY A PORTION OF YOUR RENT THAT YOU SHOULD TRY TO DO THAT. UM, IN THE END, YOU MAY VERY WELL BE IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE OWE SEVERAL MONTHS BACK RENT. AND THAT COULD BE A REALLY DEEP HOLE TO TRY TO GET OUT OF. I WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO KEEP ME PAY YOUR OBLIGATIONS AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. I KNOW THAT IT'S HARD AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT, UM, THEIR INCOME HAS BEEN DISRUPTED, BUT MOST PEOPLE, THEIR INCOME HAS BEEN DISRUPTED SIGNIFICANTLY. AND THIS IS A TOUGH TIME. I THINK EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS, BUT WE SHOULD BE CAREFUL NOT TO EMBRACE IDEAS THAT, UH, BIG CHUNKS OF DEBT ARE GOING TO BE FORGIVEN BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S THAT. THAT'S TRUE. AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW THAT REALLY HAPPENS AND I THINK IT'S A LITTLE RISKY TO, TO, TO BET EVERYTHING ON THAT. SO WE HAVE MORE QUESTIONS. YES SIR. BUT THIS QUESTION WAS SUBMITTED VIA ZOOM, HAND-WASHING AS A KEY PREVENTIVE STRATEGY. WILL THE CITY BE PLACING HAND WASHING STATIONS IN PUBLIC PLACES? SO THE QUESTION IS ABOUT HAND-WASHING. ARE WE GOING TO PLACE HAND-WASHING STAGE? SO THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT THAT ONCE, BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT AGAIN. CERTAINLY MR MAYOR CAN GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFICS TOO. WE CURRENTLY HAVE REQUESTED THREE HAND-WASHING STATIONS FROM THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO. THERE. ONE IS THAT WELLS PARK, ONE IS AT PRESCOTT PROMENADE KIND OF IN OUR DOWNTOWN AREA AND ONE IS AT IN FRONT OF THE POST OFFICE ON POST OFFICE ON LEXINGTON. THE COUNTY HAS ACTUALLY RUN OUT OF HAND WASHING STATIONS. THEY'RE TRYING TO SECURE ANOTHER VENDOR OR AN ADDITIONAL VENDOR FOR MORE. BUT WE'VE ASKED FOR THEM AT BILL BECK PARK, EL CAHONE VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL PARK, JUDSON PARK, AND IN FRONT OF A CITY HALL WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT CONGREGATE. SO THIS IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO US. AND WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO, UM, WE, WE CONTINUALLY STOCK THE SOAP AT OUR, ALL OF OUR RESTROOMS, ALL OF THE, UH, RECREATION CENTERS THAT ARE, ARE ON THE VALLEY FLOOR CURRENTLY ARE OPEN AND THE RESTROOMS ARE OPEN. SO THERE'S A LOT OF ACCESS AT PUBLIC SPACES RIGHT NOW SINCE WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF RESTAURANT RESTAURANTS AREN'T OPEN OR RESTAURANTS ARE NOT OPEN FOR BATHROOMS AND OTHER FACILITIES. SO WE SORT OF STEPPED UP OUR GAME TO FILL THOSE VOIDS. YOU KNOW, I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT HAND-WASHING. I UM, I COME FROM A HEALTHCARE BACKGROUND, SO I KNOW A LOT OF USELESS INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE. BUT, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I REMEMBER AT SCHOOL WAS THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW VIRUSES HAVE A LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE SHELL, WHICH MEANS IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A SHELL THAT'S MADE UP OF FATS, LIPIDS. SO WHEN YOU WASH YOUR HANDS AND USE SOAP, SOAP BREAKS DOWN LIPIDS AND IT TAKES 20 SECONDS TO WASH AWAY THAT LIPID SHELL OF THE COVEN VIRUS. IF THE SHELL'S GONE, THE REST OF THE, THE VIRUS WILL LEAK OUT AND IT WON'T BE ON THE KILL. YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GET YOU. SO WHEN YOU WASH YOUR HANDS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO USE SOAP AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO IT FOR 20 SECONDS. IF YOU DON'T DO IT FOR 20 SECONDS, THEN WON'T BE ENOUGH TO KILL THE SHELL ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE VIRUS FROM FACEBOOK. WHAT BUSINESSES ARE HURTING THE MOST BY CLOSURES AND HOW CAN LOCAL CITIZENS SUPPORT THEM DURING THIS TIME? I THINK RESTAURANTS ARE REALLY EARLY STRUGGLING. UM, IF, UH, MOST OF THE RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN FOR UH, TO GO ORDERS, I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY APPRECIATIVE FOR THEM IF YOU COULD, COULD, UH, CALL IN AND PICK UP SOME TO GO FOODS A PRAM. WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK EVERYBODY'S HEARD? BUT I THINK EVERYONE'S HURTING. AND MR MAYOR, WE'RE ONLY, WE'RE NOT EVEN A WEEK INTO THIS, SO IT'S HARD TO SAY WHO'S HURTING, WHO'S NOT HURTING. UH, WE'LL, WE'LL KIND OF SEE AS, AS WE PROGRESS. AND AGAIN, THAT'S WHY OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM WILL BE REALLY WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE DEVELOPMENT, WITH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE AND WHAT'S HURTING THE MOST. YEAH, IT GIVES ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING, GRAHAM, THAT YOU AND I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR A WEEK NOW. WHEN, UH, WHEN WE GOT THE ORDER THAT MOST BUSINESSES WERE GOING TO SHUT DOWN, I THOUGHT BACK THROUGH MY LIFE, ALL THE JOBS I'VE HAD AND WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE, I WAITED TABLES AND I, I WAS A BARTENDER AND LIKE, LIKE MANY OF US, AND I KNOW THAT IF THE RESTAURANT THAT I WORKED [00:35:01] AT WERE CLOSED ON A MONDAY, I'D PROBABLY BE OUT OF MONEY BY WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY. I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY THE CASE FOR MOST YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE WAITING TABLES OR GOING TO COLLEGE. AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE FOOD PRETTY WELL COVERED FOR KIDS. I KNOW THAT KIDS THAT ARE GETTING FOOD AT SCHOOLS ARE STILL GETTING THAT FOOD BECAUSE WE'RE, UH, WE SET UP A SYSTEM THAT, UH, FAMILIES CAN COME THROUGH AND GET THAT FOOD IN THE MORNING AND TAKE IT HOME WITH THEM. I KNOW WE HAVE LOTS OF FOOD AVAILABLE FOR OLDER FOLKS THROUGH MEALS ON WHEELS AND THROUGH, UM, A COUPLE OF OTHER AGENCIES THAT PROVIDE FOOD TO FOLKS. BUT I WORRY ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT NORMALLY WOULDN'T ACCESS, UH, FOOD BANKS OR NORMALLY WOULDN'T ACCESS ANY KIND OF COMMUNITY SERVICES. BUT RIGHT NOW THEY HAVE ZERO MONEY AND THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FOOT. AND I, I, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. SO I'VE, I REALLY CHALLENGED, UH, OUR CITY MANAGER GRAHAM TO FIGURE OUT A WAY THAT WE COULD PROVIDE FOOD FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE MIDDLE THAT REALLY NEEDS SOME HELP. AND HE'S BEEN WORKING ON THAT AND I THINK WE'RE A COUPLE OF DAYS AWAY FROM, UM, PUTTING OUT A PROGRAM THAT WILL PROVIDE SOME, SOME SERVICES FOR PEOPLE THAT YOU WANT TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT THAT CERTAINLY, I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S TOO EARLY TO GIVE A LOT OF DETAILS, BUT I ACTUALLY HAVE A TEAM OF THREE SORT OF, OF OUR CRACK STAFF THAT'S WORKING ON THIS RIGHT NOW. THEY'VE REACHED OUT TO A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT DO THIS ALREADY, SO WE'RE NOT REINVENTING THE WHEEL. UM, AND W WE, WE'D PROBABLY RELY ON SOME OF OUR CHURCHES AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY TO HELP WITH DISTRIBUTION. BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, MAYBE THERE'S, WE THINK THERE'S A GAP, A FOOD INSECURITY IN OUR COMMUNITY AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT ALTHOUGH NOT SOMETHING CITIES USUALLY DO, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO STEP UP AND HELP OUT AND APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THAT. YEAH. YOU KNOW, I, I AGREE WITH YOU AND WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL WITH OUR MONEY AND WE DON'T LIKE TO DO THINGS LIKE THAT BECAUSE PEOPLE GENERALLY TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES AND WHEN THEY CAN'T, THERE THERE'S LOTS OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT, THAT PEOPLE CAN TURN TO AND FAITH BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT OFTENTIMES PROVIDE PEOPLE HELP IN THOSE LITTLE GAPS SITUATIONS. BUT THIS IS AN UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCE. THIS IS LIKE NOTHING I'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE IN MY LIFETIME. AND WE HAVE RESOURCES AND I THINK WE NEED TO STEP UP AND FRANKLY, I WANT TO CHALLENGE ALL OF YOU TO STEP UP. IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH FOOD FOR YOURSELVES AND A LITTLE BIT EXTRA, UH, IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE TOO HARD TO FIND A FAMILY ON YOUR BLOCK, A FAMILY AND YOUR CHURCH, A FAMILY IN YOUR SERVICE CLUB, SOMEBODY THAT YOU KNOW, THAT COULD USE A LITTLE HELP. AND I REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT LEVEL, REACH OUT TO PEOPLE THAT NEED SOME HELP AND CHOOSE A FAMILY OR TWO THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE SOME ASSISTANCE TO BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY THAT ONE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION COULD DO IT OR ONE FOOD ORGANIZATION COULD DO THIS. THIS IS TO HAVE TO BE A COMMUNITY EFFORT THAT WE ALL HELP EACH OTHER WITH. GRAHAM, ANY THOUGHTS? I THINK YOU'RE EXACTLY, YOU'RE RIGHT. THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SAY. NOT ALWAYS. OKAY, GOOD. I LIKE THAT. ALL RIGHT. NEXT QUESTION FROM THE WEBPAGE WITH GOVERNOR NEWSOME PUTTING SHELTER IN PLACE FOR ALL OF CALIFORNIA, WHY ARE THERE STILL SO MANY CARS ON THE ROAD, PEOPLE OUTSIDE, ET CETERA, THROUGHOUT THE DAY. WILL THIS BE ENFORCED OR WILL THERE BE ENFORCEMENT? GREAT QUESTION. THE QUESTION IS WITH THE SHELTER IN PLACE ORDER IN EFFECT, WHY DO WE STILL SEE PEOPLE OUT THERE LIVING LIFE GOING BY THINGS AND AS, BECAUSE WE ARE A FREE SOCIETY AND WE DECIDED AS A GROUP COLLECTIVELY THAT WE WOULD NOT GIVE THAT UP AND PEOPLE WERE PUT ON THEIR OWN RECOGNIZANCE AND SAID, TRY NOT TO UM, GO OUT OF THE HOUSE IF YOU HAVE TO GO OUT AND BUY A PRESCRIPTION, OKAY, GO OUT AND GET A PRESCRIPTION. IF YOU HAVE TO GO OUT AND BUY A LITTLE FOOD, YEAH, GO OUT AND BUY A LITTLE FOOD. BUT YOU KNOW, THEY'LL GO TO THE BEACH, DON'T GO HIKING IN THE MOUNTAINS, DON'T GO PLAY TENNIS, DON'T RIDE YOUR BIKES. AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VERY, UH, VERY GOOD ABOUT IT. BUT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT DON'T FEEL THE SITUATION IS AS DIRE AS THE MEDIA IS MAKING IT OUT TO BE OR THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S MAKING IT OUT TO ME AND THEY, THEY FEEL SAFE AND THEY WANT TO DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO. AND WE'RE NOT CHINA. WE HA WE HAVEN'T SENT THE POLICE OUT TO ROUND PEOPLE UP FOR FREE ASSEMBLY. WE HAVEN'T SENT PEOPLE OUT FOR, UM, SAY THAT THEIR BUSINESSES, UH, ESSENTIAL AND WE DISAGREE WITH THAT. WE HAVEN'T SENT THE POLICE OUT TO ARREST THOSE PEOPLE OR TO SHUT THEIR BUSINESS DOWN, PADLOCK THEIR DOORS. UM, WILL THAT SITUATION GET MORE HEAVY HANDED? I DON'T KNOW. IT'S POSSIBLE. UH, IT WON'T COME FROM US. IT WILL COME FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OR WILL COME FROM THE STATE GOVERNMENT. UM, I THINK THAT YOUR IRRITATION, THE IRRITATION I HEAR [00:40:01] IN YOUR QUESTION IS WELL FOUNDED. I'M IRRITATED AS WELL. I THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT TAKING THIS AS SERIOUSLY AS THEY SHOULD. I CAN TELL YOU FROM A, FROM A HEALTHCARE PERSPECTIVE, A SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE, I AM A LITTLE TAKEN ABACK BY HOW SERIOUS THE SITUATION IS. I DON'T WANT TO PANIC ANYBODY, BUT IT'S SERIOUS. AND IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A CHANCE TO GET THROUGH THIS WITHOUT A LOT OF LOSS OF LIFE, WE NEED TO DO THESE EXTREME THINGS. BUT THE GOVERNMENT'S NOT GOING TO DO IT FOR YOU. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION TO CONTROL YOUR OWN ACTIONS, TO CONTROL THE ACTIONS OF YOUR FAMILY, TO SET UP A GUIDELINES FOR YOURSELF THAT YOU STICK BY THAT ARE UNCOMFORTABLE. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE SACRIFICES. AND I THINK THAT'S THE ANSWER. UM, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S BEEN TALK ABOUT THE NATIONAL GUARD AND MARTIAL LAW THAT JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN IN AMERICA. I SUPPOSE IT COULD. I REALLY DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING SOON, BUT THAT'S THE NEXT STEP IF PEOPLE CAN'T CONTROL THEMSELVES. SO THAT'S MY RECOMMENDATION TO PEOPLE. BUT I DON'T THINK WE AS THE GOVERNMENT ARE GOING TO BE, UM, DOING THE KIND OF ENFORCEMENT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TO MAKE EVERYBODY SAY HOME GRAMMAR CHIEF, DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? YEAH, I WOULD JUST SAY I AGREE IT'S, IT'S IRRESPONSIBLE TO DISREGARD THE ORDERS. UH, HAVING SAID THAT THOUGH, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE ORDERS AS WELL. I THINK THERE'S SOME THAT BELIEVED THAT, THAT YOU'RE LOCKED IN YOUR HOUSE 24 HOURS A DAY WITH NO END DATE. AND, UH, THE ORDERS, IF YOU NEED TO GO TO THE BANK, YOU CAN GO TO THE BANK. IF YOU NEED TO GET FOOD, YOU CAN GET FOOD. SO I THINK WE'RE STILL SEEING SOME VEHICULAR TRAFFIC FOR THOSE EVERYDAY TYPE OF THINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE STILL ALLOWED IN A FREE SOCIETY. ALL RIGHT, NEXT QUESTION FROM THE WEBPAGE. WILL THERE BE ANY PUBLIC TESTING SITES IN EL CAHONE? THERE ARE MANY RESIDENTS THAT DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH WELL OR DON'T UNDERSTAND IT AND THERE'S NOT TRUST FROM THE STATE OR COUNTY GOVERNMENT. UM, ARE THERE ANY LOCATIONS WHERE WE CAN SEND THIS RESIDENCE SPECIALLY SINCE THE NONPROFITS HAVE HAD TO CLOSE THEIR DOORS? I SEE. WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TESTING AND THEY WERE TESTING FOR THE VIRUS. SO TESTING'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A STRANGE ISSUE CAUSE I, I THOUGHT THAT THERE'D BE A LOT OF TESTING. UM, THE DOCTORS AND THE HOSPITALS HAVE BEEN TOLD NOT TO TEST PEOPLE UNLESS THEY MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA. THAT CRITERIA IS THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE A SORE THROAT, YOU SHOULD HAVE A COUGH, YOU SHOULD HAVE A FEVER. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY YOU SHOULD HAVE SHORTNESS OF BREATH. IF YOU DON'T HAVE THOSE THINGS, THEN WE'RE ASSUMING THAT YOU HAVE A COLD OR BRONCHITIS, WHICH THIS IS THE COLD. AND FLU SEASON ANYWAY. SO THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE OTHER SYMPTOMS THAT THAT'S, THAT MIGHT BE SCARY THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS, THIS VIRUS, BECAUSE OF THIS HOSPITALS NOT JUST TESTING EVERYBODY THAT COMES IN THERE W YOU HAVE TO REALLY MEET THAT CRITERIA TO GET TESTED. SO IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE THE VIRUS, THE FIRST THING YOU SHOULD DO IS CALL THE HOSPITAL, CALL THE EMERGENCY ROOM BECAUSE THEY, THEY ALL NOW HAVE UM, INFORMATION LINES AND PEOPLE THAT WILL TALK TO YOU AND WALK YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS. IF THEY FEEL THAT YOU NEED TO BE TESTED, THEY WILL HAVE YOU COME TO THE HOSPITAL, YOU WON'T GO INTO THE MAIN EMERGENCY ROOM, YOU WON'T GO TO THE MAIN HOSPITAL. YOU'LL EITHER GO INTO A TENT OR YOU'LL ACTUALLY BE TRIAGED IN YOUR CAR AND THEY'LL SEND SOMEBODY OUT AND THEY'LL, THEY'LL EVALUATE YOU. THEY MIGHT DO A CHEST X RAY AT THAT POINT THEY'LL DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT YOU SHOULD GET TESTED FOR THE COVEN VIRUS. SO IT'S KIND OF A COMPLICATED PROCESS. IT'S NOT THE KIND OF PROCESS WHERE WE WOULD SET UP A TESTING STATION AND JUST TAKE ANYBODY WHO WANTED TO COME IN TO BE TESTED TO BE TESTED. WE WERE NOT VERY YET, WE DON'T HAVE THAT MANY TESTS YET. AND SO WE HAVE TO RATION THEM AT SOME POINT. THERE MIGHT BE A CHANGE IN THE TECHNOLOGY THAT THE TESTING IS VERY EASY, AS VERY PLENTIFUL AND ANYBODY CAN GET TESTED SEVERAL TIMES AND IT WON'T BE A PROBLEM, BUT WE'RE NOT THERE YET. SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE SAVING THE TESTING, UM, FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE, ARE PRETTY OBVIOUSLY SICK WITH THE VIRUS AND THAT'S DONE BY THE HOSPITAL, NOT BY, IT'S NOT DONE IN, UM, LOCAL TESTING CENTERS. GRAHAM, DID YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT OR, I THINK YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT. I THINK EVERY STATE HAS SOME DIFFERENT PARAMETERS OF HOW THEY'RE TESTING. I KNOW MY, MY, UH, SIBLINGS THAT LIVE IN OTHER STATES IN THE UNITED STATES, THERE'S A LOT MORE ROBUST TESTING IN CALIFORNIA FOR WHATEVER [00:45:01] REASON. SOME OF THE REASONS THAT YOU ADDRESS ARE NOT TESTING. IT'S AN AREA THAT WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER. I KNOW MARY, YOU, YOU'VE MADE THE OFFER IF THEY ARE DOING A TESTING THAT YOU'VE OFFERED FACILITIES IN THE CITY. SO WE HAVE BETTER ACCESS TO TESTING IF THAT DAY WERE TO COME. YEAH. IF, IF, IF PART OF THE QUESTION IS, IS THE CITY WILLING TO GET INVOLVED IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH PROCESS? UM, IF WE NEEDED TO SET UP TENTS OR IF WE DIDN'T SET UP, UH, UH, TEMPORARY TESTING FACILITIES, ABSOLUTELY. WE, WE WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM CARRYING THE COST. UM, AND ORGANIZING THAT PROCESS RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EVEN DO THAT IF WE WANTED TO. AND WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY TAKING THE LEAD FROM THE HOSPITALS, YOU KNOW, IN OUR TOWN, GROSSMONT HOSPITALS REALLY, UH, DOING A GREAT JOB. AND WE'RE TAKING THE LEAD FROM GROSSMONT AND ALSO FROM OUR, UH, FIRST RESPONDERS ARE OUR PARAMEDICS, OUR FIREFIGHTERS OR POLICE OFFICERS. THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALSO INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS TOO. AND THEY'RE TRANSPORTING PEOPLE TO BE TESTED IF NEED BE. UM, IF SOMEBODY DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE, THE, THE WAY THAT THE CULTURE WORKS, THEY'RE FROM A DIFFERENT CULTURE AND THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET HELP. UM, GRANT. WELL GRANT, WHY DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT THAT? YEAH, CERTAINLY. UM, THE, THE COUNTY HAS ON THEIR WEBSITE AND AGAIN YOU CAN ACCESS THAT IF YOU TO GO TO THE JUST THE CITY OF ELKO HONES WEBSITE. THERE'S A BAY, A RED BANNER ACROSS THE TOP OF OUR WEBSITE ABOUT ALL THINGS COVE IN 19 THAT YOU'D WANT TO KNOW. IF YOU CLICK ON THAT, WE LINK YOU TO STATE WEBSITES, COUNTY WEBSITES, THE, THE U S GOVERNMENT, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S WEBSITES, THE CDC AND UM, UNDER THE COUNTY THEY ACTUALLY HAVE ALMOST ALL OF THEIR MATERIAL IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES. UM, SPANISH AND ARABIC. RIGHT NOW WE ARE WORKING ON ACTUALLY TAKING SOME OF THE VIDEOS THAT THEY'VE PRODUCED AND UM, PUTTING ARABIC TRANSLATION ONTO THAT SO WE CAN GET BETTER ACCESS TO OUR, ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY. SUPER. THAT'S GREAT. CHIEF, ANYTHING? OKAY. ALRIGHT. IT WAS CRUSHED. THE NEXT TWO QUESTIONS ARE SIMILAR, SO I'LL READ THEM TOGETHER. UM, WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR ASSISTING RESIDENTS WHO ARE AT RISK OF BECOMING HOMELESS BECAUSE OF THE COBIT 19 AND WHAT IS, IS THE CITY OF OKLAHOMA WAITING FOR DIRECTION FROM THE PRECEDENT TO ADDRESS EVICTIONS. OKAY. SO THE QUOTE, IT'S KIND OF A SIMILAR QUESTION. UM, I'M GOING TO LET GRANT ANSWER THE HOMELESS PART OF THAT QUESTION. I, I'LL, I'LL JUST THE EVICTION ISSUE. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT A LITTLE EARLIER. THE QUESTION IS WHAT'S THE CITY PLAN TO DO ABOUT DRESSING EVICTIONS? AT THIS POINT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT PLANNING ON ADDRESSING THAT. THAT'S, THAT'S AN ISSUE FOR THE COURTS AND THAT'S AN ISSUE FOR THE STATE GOVERNMENT. I THINK THAT, UM, I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED AT ALL IF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ADDRESSES THAT ISSUE IN LAW AT SOME TIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE. UH, IN THE MEANTIME, WE'RE NOT PARTICULARLY WORRIED ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE COURTS HAVE SAID THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE PROCESSING EVICTIONS RIGHT NOW. SO IT'S A MOOT POINT. UM, WE'RE WAITING FOR A DIRECTION FROM HIGHER LEVEL AUTHORITY AND AS FAR AS GRAND, THE QUESTION WAS, HOW DO WE HELP PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THE VERGE NOW BECOMING HOMELESS AS A RESULT OF THE CRISIS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. IN FACT, LET'S JUST BE HONEST, NOBODY KNOWS, INCLUDING US, WHAT THE LONGTERM IMPLICATIONS OF THIS VIRUS IS ON OUR SOCIETY. AND IT'S NOT JUST THOSE THAT GET SICK OR, OR DIE, IT'S THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS. IT'S THE HOUSING IMPACTS. UM, IT'S REALLY A BIG SHIFT IN A POTENTIALLY OUR CULTURE. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE. WE DON'T KNOW HOW QUICKLY THIS IS GOING TO RECOVER. WE DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GOING TO BE IN THIS FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. RIGHT NOW WE'RE FOCUSED ON ADMITTEDLY THE HERE AND NOW AND IT'S HARD TO FOCUS ON THE WHAT IFS OR WHAT COULD BE IN THE FUTURE. WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE, THERE COULD BE A BIG SHIFT IN HOME OWNERSHIP AND UH, PEOPLE BEING EVICTED OUT OF THEIR HOUSES OR JUST NOT BEING ABLE TO AFFORD TO LIVE IN SAN DIEGO OR EL CAHONE ANYMORE. UM, THAT'S A THING THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT. BUT FRANKLY, UH, TO THE PUBLIC, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON KEEPING US SAFE AND PROTECTED RIGHT NOW. AND IT'S HARD TO GIVE A LOT OF ATTENTION TO THAT OTHER, THOSE OTHER BIGGER QUESTIONS. CAUSE WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO KEEP, CONTINUE TO KEEP THE CITY RUNNING PERMITS, UH, BEING REVIEWED, SEWER FLOWING, WATER FLOWING, ALL THOSE THINGS. SO IT'S A BIG THING THAT WE'RE GOING TO TACKLE AND I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO RELY ON A LOT OF PARTNERS TO HELP US WITH THAT. UNDERSTAND THAT OUR NEIGHBORING CITIES, THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO, THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND OF COURSE OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. I WANT TO SAY ABOUT THAT IS THAT, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, I, I FULLY EXPECT THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO WEIGH IN ON THIS AND I THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE FUNDS AVAILABLE IF IT'S, IF IT TURNS OUT THAT, UH, THE CITY OF ALCOHOL [00:50:01] NEEDS TO ADVOCATE FOR OUR RESIDENTS. IF WE NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN HELPING PEOPLE GET THOSE FUNDS, THAT ACCESS THOSE FUNDS, WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PROTECT PEOPLE. WE, OUR ENTIRE GOAL IS TO PROTECT THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN OKLAHOMA. SO IF WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO BE EVICTED FROM THEIR HOMES OR FACE SOME OTHER KIND OF, UH, ECONOMIC HARDSHIP AS A RESULT OF THIS VIRUS, WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WITHIN OUR POWER TO HELP. THAT'S MY PROMISE QUESTION. NEXT QUESTION. ARE THE PARKS GOING TO REMAIN OPEN AT THIS POINT? YES. THE PARKS WE'RE IN REMAIN OPEN. I, I CAN'T PROMISE THAT IT WILL CONTINUE, BUT UH, WE DON'T SEE A REASON AT THIS POINT TO CLOSE THEM AND I THINK IT SENDS THE WRONG MESSAGE. LET ME, CAN I COMMENT ON THAT AS WELL? ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S IMPORTANT TO US IS THAT OUR PARKS DO REMAIN OPEN CAUSE WE KNOW IT'S A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE NEED TO GET OUT OF THEIR HOUSE PERIODICALLY. BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT, UM, IT'S A PLACE WHERE CONTAMINATION CAN OCCUR. SO WE'RE DOING TWO THINGS. ONE IS WE ARE DISINFECTING THE PARK ONCE A DAY. UH, THE CDC HAS A, A FORMULA THAT IS EFFECTIVE FOR DISINFECTING. IT COMPRISES A BLEACH AND WATER AND SOME POWER WASHING. SO THAT HAPPENS EVERY DAY. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE ALSO ENCOURAGE OUR RESIDENTS TO BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU GO TO THE PARK, THAT YOU CLEAN YOUR HANDS RIGHT AFTERWARD, THAT YOU STAY SIX FEET APART FROM OTHERS THAT YOU SANITIZE BECAUSE THERE IS A PLACE WHERE COMMUNITY OR DISEASE CAN BE TRANSFERRED. BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT PEOPLE NEED TO GET OUT AND GET SOME FRESH AIR. UM, THE NEXT QUESTION IS, WILL THE CITY CHARGE LATE FEES ON SEWER BILLS? I WON'T GIVE THAT TO YOU. CERTAINLY. WE, WE ACTUALLY HAVE, UM, AS, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING OUR COMPANY THAT PROVIDES TO OUR BILLINGS. THIS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED AT THE CITY COUNCIL LEVEL SEVERAL TIMES. UM, THE FIRM THAT WE WERE USING, THE COMPANY THAT WE WERE USING, UH, WENT OUT OF BUSINESS ABRUPTLY IN END OF 2019 SO WE'RE CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH A LOT OF ADJUSTMENTS. WE ACTUALLY ARE NOT CHARGING ANY LATE SEWER FEES BETWEEN NOW AND JULY ONE AND WE WERE DOING THAT EVEN BEFORE COVEN 19 OCCURRED. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S ONGOING AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO HONOR THAT. NOT AT THIS TIME. OKAY. SO WE'LL KEEP REVIEWING THAT THOUGH. WE'LL SEE IF THAT'S BECOMES SOMETHING WE NEED TO DO. WHEN WILL EAST COUNTY SCHOOLS RETURN TO SCHOOL? WOW. UM, I, I'M NOT SURE. I THINK THERE IS A DATE THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO COME BACK. DO YOU HAVE THAT GRAHAM? WE'RE, WE'RE WAITING FOR SOME DIRECTION FROM THE GOVERNOR ON THAT. I, I, I CAN ONLY TELL YOU WHAT MY KIDS ARE GETTING IN THE MAIL AND FRANKLY IT'S, IT'S CONFLICTING INFORMATION. SO I THINK EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT IS TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT AND WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS. YEAH. IT'S, UM, IT'S GETTING LATE IN THE YEAR. UM, I WOULDN'T BE SHOCKED IF, IF WE DON'T SEE SCHOOL AGAIN UNTIL SEPTEMBER, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY INSIDE INFORMATION. I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE DOES. THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS REGARDING A GANG ACTIVITY AND THEY ARE ASKING, UM, IS THERE INCREASED PATROLS, UM, GIVEN THE SHOOTINGS AND CRIME INCREASE? OUR CHIEF? YEAH. SO WE HAVE INCREASED, UH, OUR PATROL STAFFING. WE ARE PUTTING MORE OFFICERS OUT THERE. ONE OF THE THINGS WE ALSO REALIZED WERE THAT THAT BUSINESSES THAT CLOSED DOWN AS A RESULT OF THE ORDER WOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR BUSINESSES. SO WE INCREASED, UH, PATROL STAFFING AT NIGHT TO, TO TRY TO DO MORE PATROL IN THE BUSINESS DISTRICTS AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS. BUT WE DO HAVE MORE PATROL STAFFING OUT THERE. THE OTHER THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TIE THIS INTO IS, THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WHY VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE IS SO IMPORTANT. IF I AM SENDING OFFICERS TO BUSINESSES OR GATHERINGS BECAUSE PEOPLE AREN'T COMPLIANT, IT'S ONE LAST OFFICER ON THE STREET THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE, UH, LOOKING FOR OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITY OR PREVENTING OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPERATIVE THAT PEOPLE COMPLY AND DO THE RIGHT THING FOR OUR, FOR EVERYONE. THAT'S A GREAT POINT. THANKS CHIEF. MMM. BESIDES THE DAILY BRIEFINGS AS A CITY IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE COUNTY AND STATE, AND ARE THERE ANY UNIQUE, UNIQUE ACTIONS BY THE CITY FOR THE RESIDENTS TO GO THROUGH THIS STAGE? SO THE QUESTION IS, IS THE CITY IS A SEED IN CONTACT WITH THE S WITH THE STATE AND THE CONTACT WITH THE COUNTY? [00:55:01] AND THE ANSWER IS YES. THERE'S A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN BOTH THOSE ENTITIES AND WE'RE ALL TALKING ON A DAILY BASIS, OBVIOUSLY SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. UM, AS THIS SITUATION CHANGES FAST AND VERY FLUID. THE SECOND PART OF THE QUESTION WAS, ARE THERE ANY UNIQUE ACTIONS BY THE CITY FOR THE RESIDENTS TO GROW THROUGH THIS STAGE? THROUGH THESE TIMES? I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING THAT'S PARTICULARLY UNIQUE ABOUT OUR ACTIONS IN THE CITY THAT I THINK MOST CITIES ARE, ARE GOING ALONG THE SAME LINES THAT WE ARE. IS THERE ANYTHING ESPECIALLY YOU WANT TO POINT OUT GRAHAM? I THINK WE ARE GOING ALONG THE SAME LINES. UH, I'M IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH THE OTHER CITY MANAGERS AROUND AROUND THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO AND WE'RE SHARING, UH, BEST PRACTICES, LESSONS LEARNED, THINGS THAT ARE OCCURRING. SO WE'RE WATCHING CAREFULLY HOW OTHER CITIES ARE TREATING PARKS. IN FACT, UM, ONE THING THAT'S BEEN IMPORTANT TO US FROM THE BEGINNING IS THAT WE CREATE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT AT CITY HALL THAT, THAT CITY HALLS ON A PLACE WHERE GERMS ARE TRANSFERRED OR THE VIRUS IS TRANSFERRED. SO WE HAVE ACTUALLY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT'S IMPORTANT THAT CITY HALL STAY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. SO WE'VE CREATED A SITUATION WHICH MAY BE UNIQUE IN SOME OTHER CITIES, IS THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE THE LOBBY OPEN STD HALL. ALL SERVICES THAT WE'VE EVER PROVIDED ARE STILL BEING PROVIDED, UM, THROUGH THE LOBBY. AND SO SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO US IN THAT WE SERVE OUR RESIDENTS THE BEST THAT WE CAN. GOOD ANSWER TO THE QUESTION. I THINK THIS TOWN HALL IS, IS KIND OF UNIQUE. I'M NOT SURE IF OTHER CITIES ARE DOING THIS. I LIKE THIS FORMAT. I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK AND I LIKE TO DO THIS ON A REGULAR BASIS. SO WE'LL BE COMING BACK AND DOING MORE OF THESE. ASSUMING THAT THE, UM, CRISIS CONTINUES. MAY GOD WILLING, MAYBE IT JUST GOES AWAY SOON. I MEAN, HOW ABOUT TIME FOR ABOUT ONE MORE QUESTION. ARE CITY OFFICIALS REACHING OUT TO LOCAL AND STATE AUTHORITIES TO HELP OKLAHOMA RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY THE KOVAC 19 YES, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, I'M, I'VE BEEN WORKING REAL CLOSELY WITH THE COUNTY. THEY'VE BEEN REALLY GOOD ABOUT KEEPING US INVOLVED AND KEEPING US IN THE DISCUSSION PROCESS. I'VE HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET WITH THE TOP PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS. I HAVE MET WITH THE DOCTOR WHO IS IN CHARGE OF EPIDEMIOLOGY FOR THE, FOR THE CITY. UM, AND FOR THE COUNTY. I'VE BEEN WORKING REAL CLOSELY WITH, UH, MARY FAULKNER, WHO'S BEEN A GOOD FRIEND THROUGH THIS. I'VE WORKED WITH SEVERAL OF THE OTHER MAYORS AND SOME OF THE OTHER LOCATIONS. THERE'S A, A SENSE OF CAMARADERIE IN THIS. THERE'S A SENSE OF, UH, A SPREAD OF CORE THAT WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO TRY TO, TO GET THROUGH THIS AS BEST WE POSSIBLY CAN. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT IF WE NEEDED HELP, THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO WILL COME TO HER AID AS WOULD MANY OF THE OTHER SMALLER CITIES. AND I, I BELIEVE THAT WE WOULD COME TO THEIR AS WELL. SO I THINK WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER. THE STATE, UM, IS DOING THEIR BEST, I THINK TO KEEP US INFORMED. BUT IT'S A BIG ENTITY. THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IS 40 MILLION PEOPLE. IT'S ONE OF THE, IF THE CITY CALIFORNIA WERE A COUNTRY, IT WOULD BE IN THE TOP 10 COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD AND THE SIZE. SO IT'S NOT AS EASY FOR US TO HAVE OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE HIDING ANYTHING, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE JUST HUGE. AND, UM, BUT WE ARE STILL, UH, WORKING WITH THEM AS BEST WE POSSIBLY CAN. I THINK THEY'RE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO TRY TO MITIGATE THE CRISIS AND MAKE IT, UH, AS TENABLE AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN. SO I DON'T HAVE ANY FEELINGS THAT, UM, ANYBODY'S TRYING TO HIDE THINGS FROM US OR PULL THINGS OVER ON US. I GET THE SENSE WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER, BUT IT'S HAPPENING REALLY FAST AND WE'VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE, SO THERE'S A LOT OF, A LOT OF MISINFORMATION OUT THERE, A LOT OF, A LOT OF MISSTEPS. AND I THINK BY THE TIME WE'RE A LITTLE BIT FURTHER INTO THIS, WE'LL BE BETTER AT IT. ANY THOUGHTS? GRAHAM? I THINK YOU HIT IT ON THE HEAD. ONE MORE QUESTION. OKAY. WE'LL DO ONE MORE QUESTION THEN. WE'RE GOING TO CALL IT A NIGHT FOR TONIGHT, BUT WE'LL COME BACK SOON. THANK YOU. ARE THERE ANY FOOD BANKS IN OKLAHOMA? I'M GOING TO PASS OUT TO GRAHAM BECAUSE HE'S GOT A LIST THERE. YES. SO THERE'S, THERE'S A COUPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOOD. THE SALVATION ARMY, AND AGAIN, THIS IS ON OUR WEBSITE, SO CITY OF EL CAHONE. DOT. U S IF YOU GO TO THE VERY TOP OF OUR WEBSITE, THERE'S A RED BANNER. YOU CLICK ON THAT AND THERE'S A LOT OF RESOURCES, BUT THERE'S CURRENTLY, UM, SALVATION ARMY HAS FOOD DISTRIBUTION, UH, FEEDING SAN DIEGO HAS FOOD DISTRIBUTION. THERE'S SOME LINKS TO CALFRESH THAT IT'S MANAGED BY THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO. THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITIES THERE. UH, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, FEEDS UP TO 10,000 CHILDREN A DAY AND IS PREPARED TO DO THAT. THEY'RE ONLY GETTING ABOUT 4,000 FOOD ORDERS FROM WHAT I HEARD LAST. SO THERE THEY HAVE CAPACITY. SO IF THERE'S FAMILIES THAT ARE NEEDING FOOD AND THEY HAVE KIDS THAT GO TO SCHOOL, THEY SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. AND [01:00:01] IF YOU GO TO THE SCHOOL WEBSITE, THERE'S THE LOCATIONS WHERE THOSE ARE AT. WE'LL INCLUDE THAT ON OUR WEBSITE AS WELL. AND AS WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, WE'RE EXPLORING SOME OTHER OPTIONS TO FILL THOSE GAPS BETWEEN THOSE THAT ARE, THAT ARE SENIORS AND THOSE THAT ARE CHILDREN, UH, THE POPULATION IN BETWEEN. SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. ALL RIGHT, CHIEF, ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY BEFORE WE CLOSE NOW? JUST TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE COMMITTED TO PROTECTING THIS COMMUNITY. IF YOU CALL US, WE'LL BE THERE. BUT AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO REITERATE THAT THAT VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE IS SO IMPORTANT TO OUR MISSION BECAUSE IT KEEPS OUR OFFICERS IN THE FIELD RESPONDING TO CRIME PROBLEMS AND PREVENTING CRIME AROUND THE CITY. GRAHAM? YEAH. I WANT TO ECHO THE WORDS OF THE CHIEF. I HAD A CHANCE TO DO IT RIGHT ALONG WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND I WAS AMAZED AT HOW PROFESSIONAL THEY WERE AND HOW MANY THERE WERE ON THE STREET AND CRISS CROSSING THE STREET OR THE CITY ALL OVER AND TAKING CARE OF SOME SERIOUS ISSUES. I WAS REALLY PROUD OF, OF HOW THEY HANDLED THEMSELVES. I'M REALLY PROUD OF ALL THE CITY STAFF. THEY'VE DONE SO MUCH TO STEP UP. WHILE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE FEARFUL AND ARE AT HOME WHERE THEY SHOULD BE, UH, OUR STAFF IS AT WORK AND SERVING THE PUBLIC AND THEY HAVE THOSE SAME FEARS AS EVERYBODY ELSE, BUT THEY'RE HERE AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THEIR DEDICATION AND SERVICE TO THE TAXPAYERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. THE LAST THING I WANT TO SAY IS YOU'VE HEARD THIS PHRASE SOCIAL DISTANCING. YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO SAY I HATE THAT WORD. I THINK IT'S A HORRIBLE PHRASE. WE'RE AT A TIME RIGHT NOW WHERE WE NEED TO ACTUALLY COME TOGETHER. MAYBE NOT PHYSICALLY. SO I LIKE THE WORD PHYSICAL DISTANCING AS OPPOSED TO SOCIAL DISTANCING. WE NEED TO CONNECT, WE NEED TO CONNECT WITH THE PEOPLE THAT, THAT OUR FAMILY MEMBERS WITH OUR NEIGHBORS. UH, I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE GET CLOSE TO THEM BUT I THINK WE NEED TO REACH OUT TO THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND EXPRESS OUR LOVE AND FIND OUT IF THEY NEED HELP. BUT THIS IS THE TIME WHERE WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER. THEATERS FIGURATIVELY, NOT LITERALLY, UM, AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER CAUSE I THINK TOGETHER WE CAN SOLVE THIS, THESE ISSUES, SOME OF THESE BIG CRITICAL ISSUES. THANKS, CRAM. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I'VE BEEN REALLY PROUD OF THE PEOPLE OF ALCOHOL. I LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. LAST WEEK AS WE GEARED FOR THIS STORM THAT WAS COMING, I WENT TO THE STORE AND STOCKED UP ON FOOD. I REMEMBER GOING TO VAUGHN'S AND THE LINE FROM THE REGISTER WITH CARTS WAS ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE MEAT COUNTER. THEY ARE 15 CARDS AHEAD OF ME AND EVERYBODY WAS POLITE AND PEOPLE WERE LAUGHING AND TALKING AND JOKING WITH EACH OTHER AND THEY WERE LETTING OTHER PEOPLE CUT IN LINE THAT DIDN'T HAVE THAT MATCH AND I HAD A REAL SENSE OF CAMARADERIE. I'M PROUD OF THE PEOPLE OF ALCOHOL. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH THIS. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH THIS AND IN SOME WAYS YOU MIGHT BE BETTER. WE'RE GOING TO KEEP TALKING WITH YOU GUYS. WE'RE GOING TO KEEP ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS. WE'RE NOT GOING TO DISAPPEAR. YOUR CITY GOVERNMENT IS WORKING 24 HOURS A DAY. IF YOU NEED US, WE'RE GOING TO BE HERE. WE'RE GOING TO KEEP IN CONTACT WITH YOU. I THINK WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER ONE OF THESE TOWN HALLS VERY SOON BECAUSE I LIKED THE THE ABILITY FOR YOU TO REACH OUT. IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'D LIKE TO TALK TO ONE OF YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU CAN GET HOLD OF ANY OF US THROUGH THE WEBSITE. IF YOU'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOUR CHIEF OF POLICE OR YOUR CITY MANAGER, YOU CAN ALSO SEND THEM AN EMAIL THROUGH THE WEBSITE AND THEY'LL GET BACK TO YOU, AND IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, FEEL FREE TO CALL US. GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND BE SAFE. WE'LL SEE YOU SOON. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.