WEEKLY BRIEFING
APRIL 17 , 2020
IN YORBA LINDA
Please join Assemblyman Phillip Chen, Yorba Linda Mayor Beth Haney, Yorba Linda Councilman Carlos Rodriguez, and the Orange County Inland Empire SBDC Network for a complimentary and informative webinar this Friday April 17th. Click this link and register to learn about funding opportunities to help you through these challenging times.
The City of Yorba Linda encourages residents to follow the County of Orange Health Officer’s recommendation to wear a mask while at work and while engaging in essential activities. The recommendation is in line with guidance issued by the California Department of Public Health on April 1, and is intended to help slow the spread of COVID-19 by those who are asymptomatic. Please remember that wearing a mask is not a substitute for proven protective measures. The best way to fight this virus is to stay home and to wash your hands frequently. [ City of Yorba Linda ]
In March, the Regional Council of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) approved the RHNA methodology despite an effort from Orange County and Southeast Los Angeles jurisdictions to propose a compromise to the SCAG-recommended plan. The final RHNA methodology is scheduled to be approved by SCAG’s Regional Council on April 30. The City has continued to voice its strong opposition to the RHNA methodology to SCAG as well as to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Residents who have concerns with the proposed methodology are encouraged to email their comments to SCAG at [email protected] . It is anticipated that the appeals process on the RHNA will begin in May. Additionally, SCAG has posted a Frequently Asked Questions page (PDF) about the appeals process. [ City of Yorba Linda ]
The Richard Nixon Foundation, in partnership with Friends Church Yorba Linda's four campuses, invites you to donate food for those in our community impacted by loss of income due to the Covid-19 virus. Download a shopping list here  along with details regarding drop off times and locations. Volunteer teams will create and deliver care packages for local seniors and families in need. Health and safety precautions are being taken. [ Richard Nixon Foundation, Friends Church Yorba Linda ]
City Council Meeting: Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. 
Traffic Commission Meeting: Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. 
COUNTY & STATE REGULATIONS
The Orange County Treasurer is now accepting penalty cancellation requests for taxpayers who have been directly impacted by COVID-19. If you have been directly impacted by COVID-19 and did not pay your property taxes by April 10, you should complete the COVID-19 Penalty Cancellation Request Form. Examples of direct impacts due to COVID-19 include: illness, hospitalization, quarantine, loss of employment or business closures. Examples of documentation include hospitalization records, doctor’s notes, employment notifications due to a business closure, layoff notices, rent receipt postponement notices/waivers, CA EDD Unemployment Insurance claim letters, etc. As these requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, we encourage you to apply and provide your specific circumstances to be considered. See COVID-19 FAQs  on the Orange County Treasurer website .
On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom  unveiled six key indicators  that will guide California’s thinking for when and how to modify the stay-at-home and other orders during the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • The ability to monitor and protect our communities through testing, contact tracing, isolating, and supporting those who are positive or exposed;
  • The ability to prevent infection in people who are at risk for more severe COVID-19;
  • The ability of the hospital and health systems to handle surges;
  • The ability to develop therapeutics to meet the demand;
  • The ability for businesses, schools, and child care facilities to support physical distancing; and
  • The ability to determine when to reinstitute certain measures, such as the stay-at-home orders, if necessary.
The Governor said there is not a precise timeline for modifying the stay-at-home order, but that these six indicators will serve as the framework for making that decision.
Representative Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (CA-39) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza urging them to issue comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure manuals for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and expanded Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) programs. “Congress passed the bipartisan CARES Act to provide immediate relief for our workers and small businesses. However, the rollout of the Paycheck Protection Program has caused confusion and frustration for our small businesses. Some have experienced technical issues while others have been denied or haven’t heard back from their bank at all. “In order to better streamline the PPP and EIDL process, I strongly urge Secretary Mnuchin and Administrator Carranza to issue comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure Manuals for both programs,” said Rep. Cisneros. To view the letter, click here . [ Office of Rep. Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. ]
In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank and employment law expert Jennifer Shaw discuss how the federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act interact with California laws; how to handle paid time for these new laws; the importance of written documentation; and recommendations for employers. [ California Chamber of Commerce ]
How do an employer’s pay obligations differ when an hourly/nonexempt employee is working remotely from home?
 It’s important to keep in mind that when having a nonexempt employee work remotely, your obligations under California’s wage and hour laws remain the same, and you need to ensure you have measures in place to maintain accurate records of the employees’ hours worked. In addition to accurately tracking all hours worked by your nonexempt remote employees, it’s critical to ensure they take required meal and rest breaks, get paid for any overtime hours and are not engaging in “off-the-clock” work. [ HR Watchdog ] 
Orange County COVID-19 Public Information Hotline and Health Referral Line: 1 (833) 426-6411 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
Orange County Economic & Business Recovery Call Center : (714) 480-6500, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday
California Toll-Free COVID-19 Hotline : (833) 544-2374, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 7 days a week
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
To combat the economic destruction threatening the survival of small businesses in every town across America, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today launched the  Save Small Business Initiative  — a nationwide program to address small businesses’ immediate needs, mitigate closures and job losses, and mobilize support for long-term recovery.
The  Save Small Business Initiative features a four-part campaign including financial aid, resources and guidance, advocacy, and polling, as well as a call to action for the larger business community and government to help small businesses. [ U.S. Chamber of Commerce ]
This week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation launched a new online series called  Path Forward  to help America prepare to restart the economy and get millions of people back to work. Each episode of Path Forward will feature experts sharing their perspectives on the complex issues involved in a responsible reopening strategy. The live program airs twice a week—Mondays and Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. ET—and the recordings of previous programs will be available on Facebook , YouTube , and uschamberfoundation.org . Register HERE. https://cvent.me/ebg2E0
The COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary response to combat it has put a severe strain on the restaurant, bar, café, and the food service industry as a whole. Initially there were cancellations of events at convention centers, conference centers, hotels and large event venues. This has since morphed into restrictions placed upon restaurants to practice social distancing and limiting seating capacity. Then it changed once again to our current situation where restaurants are being told that dining is now limited to takeout or delivery only. Needless to say this has put a serious amount of stress on our industry. Now is a good time to go over some of the practices that we can implement to streamline our operations given the new reality we face for the time being.
Life is still a long way from returning to pre-pandemic norms, but some scientists believe some parts of the economy could return in the coming months under the right circumstances. “Perhaps factories stagger shifts to prevent too many workers mixing with one another. Maybe manufacturing and construction are opened up first, said Dr. George Rutherford, epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco, and then nonessential retail stores, and some time after that, restaurants.“
We have created a worksheet around the five strategic questions. It can help you plot your current and future moves. Be aware that consumers will remember how you reacted during the crisis. Raising prices during a shortage, for example, could have a significant effect on your customer relationships going forward. [ Harvard Business Review ]
IMPORT/EXPORT
A new study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU (AmCham EU), “The Transatlantic Economy 2020,” focuses on the strong economic partnership, and features analyses of the jobs, trade and investment impacts of the relationship for all U.S. states and 30 European countries. 
In an optimistic scenario, our economists see the volume of global merchandise trade falling by 13% this year compared to 2019. If the pandemic is not brought under control, and governments fail to implement and coordinate effective policy responses, the decline could be 32% — or more.
In Italy, Spain and other places around Europe where infections and deaths have begun stabilizing, the process is already underway, with certain businesses and industries allowed to start back up in a calibrated effort by politicians to balance public health against their countries’ economic well-being.
Latin America and the Caribbean is only in the initial stages of epidemic. While all the G7 economies saw their first cases by the end of January 2020, the first deaths in the region happened almost two months later, in mid-March. Many advanced economies are already in advanced phases of the epidemic, and several of them have already managed to flatten the curve. By contrast, no country in Latin America and the Caribbean had suffered more than 300 deaths as of April 7, 2020. It is still too early to tell how large the health costs will be for countries in the region. But there is little doubt that the economic impact will be considerable.
Interested in developing a strategy for China or the Indo-Pacific?
As you may be aware, several of U.S. Commercial Officers in China were evacuated recently, and we are fortunate to have one of them now working temporarily in Ontario, CA. Keenton Chiang manages a team that implements the U.S. Ambassador’s trade-related priorities, which includes leveling the playing field for U.S. manufacturers and farmers in the Chinese market. If you are interested in speaking with Keenton Chiang, temporarily based in Southern California, please contact [email protected] to set up a phone conference. [ U.S. Commercial Service ]
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