The City of Big Bear Lake is working hard to ensure that the residents, second home owners, investors, businesses, and visitors in our community have the correct information about the status of COVID-19 threats in Big Bear Lake and the City's response to these threats.

This email newsletter is the official guidance from the City of Big Bear Lake, and the City appreciates everyone's adherence to the restrictions and recommendations outlined herein. This email newsletter also serves as the City's official press release regarding the City's COVID-19 response, and press inquiries may be directed to Frank A. Rush, Jr., City Manager, at 909-866-5832 or via email.

 

To be sure you are receiving the latest and most accurate information, please sign up for this email newsletter by clicking here . PLEASE share this email newsletter with anyone and everyone, as we want to reach as many people as possible with this information. Thank you!

Thankfully, there are still only 5 confirmed cases in Big Bear Valley. There remain a total of 3 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the City of Big Bear Lake and 2 confirmed cases in the Big Bear City area. HIPAA requirements prohibit the release of additional information about the patients or their specific location.

As of 5 pm today, there were a total of 1,096 confirmed cases in San Bernardino County. A total of 11,808 tests have been administered thus far in the County, and approximately 9.3% of those tested have been positive for COVID-19. Sadly, a total of 55 people have now died from COVID-19 in San Bernardino County.

This data is updated daily at the County's COVID-19 dashboard, and the City encourages everyone to view this site for the most accurate information.

San Bernardino County public health officials conducted a drive-thru COVID-19 testing event in Big Bear Lake today, collecting specimens from 231 individuals from the mountain communities. Test results are expected back early next week, and the City is hopeful that the number of new cases identified will be relatively low. The City greatly appreciates the County's efforts to conduct this testing event for our residents in the Big Bear Valley!

City Council held its first-ever meeting using the ZOOM video meeting platform yesterday, and conducted an orderly and productive meeting, with discussion about several COVID-19-related issues. Like all public organizations shifting to this technology, the City learned helpful lessons about the conduct of ZOOM meetings, including the need for increased capacity in the meeting "room". The City's capacity for yesterday's meeting was 100 participants, and unfortunately some were not able to join the meeting "room", however, they were able to observe the meeting streaming live on the City's website. The City will be increasing its capacity to 500 participants for the next City Council meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, April 27. The City sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the limited capacity yesterday.

The lake remains closed due to COVID-19, and is tentatively set to open on May 1. The Board of Directors of the Big Bear Municipal Water District (MWD), the separate public agency responsible for managing the lake, met yesterday to discuss the eventual opening of the lake. MWD continues to monitor the COVID-19 emergency, and will adjust the opening date as needed to ensure compliance with Governor Newsom's and the San Bernardino County public health officials' restrictions.

In an effort to assist our valued lodging and vacation rental industry that is severely strained during the COVID-19 emergency, City Council has approved a 61-day waiver of penalties and interest for the remittance of transient occupancy tax (TOT) and tourism business improvement district (TBID) payments due on April 30. This action has the practical effect of preserving cash-flow for strained businesses until lodging and vacation rental operations resume in the coming weeks.

TOT and TBID payments are still due on April 30, and those businesses that are willing and able to remit these funds by April 30 should do so in the typical manner. For those experiencing temporary financial difficulty, a penalty and interest waiver may be secured through June 30, 2020 by a) filing the required remittance form by April 30, and b) executing a simple lien agreement (that would not be recorded if payment is ultimately made to the City). The penalty and interest waiver effectively delays the required payment to the City until June 30, 2020 for these businesses.

The City will be sending a link to instructions and forms to all TOT and TBID remitters in the next few days via electronic mail. If a business does not receive this link from the City by the close of business on April 21, please contact the City at 909-866-5831 or 909-866-5832, and we will make arrangements to send the link and forms to you. The link to instructions and forms will also be posted online no later than April 21, and will be included in future City COVID-19 updates.

If circumstances warrant as we approach June 30, City Council may consider extending this deadline. The City remains hopeful, however, that lodging facilities and vacation rentals will resume operations in Big Bear Lake in the coming weeks, and that no extension will ultimately be necessary.

The City is very pleased to provide this assistance to our valued lodging facilities and vacation rentals. It should be noted that other retail and food service businesses in Big Bear Lake are already eligible for delayed remittance of sales tax, and this action extends similar assistance to the lodging and vacation rental industry that only pay TOT and TBID assessments.

Earlier today, City Council approved a beneficial partnership with Visit Big Bear to fund the City's annual fireworks display later this year. Under the terms of the partnership, the City and Visit Big Bear will share equally (50% / 50%) in the cost of the show. Each party has committed $20,000 for the initial deposit, and will remit an additional $21,000 each after the show occurs.

The City and Visit Big Bear remain hopeful that the fireworks display will occur on July 4, and are considering an appropriate social distancing strategy to enable our community to safely enjoy the fireworks. If, however, it is not safe to produce the show, it will be delayed until later this summer or fall. The City and Visit Big Bear's agreement with the fireworks company allows the City to reschedule the show for any date between July 4 and October 31 without forfeiting the initial deposit. The City and Visit Big Bear are confident that a safe date and strategy can be implemented to enable the show to occur sometime between July 4 and October 31, however, if it is not safe to do so then the show will be cancelled.

The City and Visit Big Bear believe it's important to continue planning the annual fireworks show in order to boost community spirits and also provide a jump-start for the local economy. We are pleased to engage in this partnership, and look forward to working with the Rotary Club of Big Bear to produce an enjoyable, high-quality, and SAFE event for our community.

The 2020 Census is now underway, and the City of Big Bear Lake needs your help to make sure all of us in Big Bear Lake are counted!

We're only looking for about 10 minutes of your time, and you can even complete it on your smartphone - it's that easy - all you need to do is click here and complete the short questionnaire. If you are a permanent resident of Big Bear Lake OR if you are a second homeowner in Big Bear Lake who spends more than 6 months and 1 day per year (cumulatively, not consecutively) at your home in Big Bear Lake, PLEASE take the time to complete the questionnaire.

If you don't have your 12-digit Census ID, don't worry - simply click on the button directly below that says "If you don't have a Census ID, click here", and you will be directed to enter your physical address.

If your mailing address is PO Box, that's okay too, and simply enter your physical address in the appropriate box.

An accurate census count makes a huge difference in the amount of Federal and State funding distributed to California, San Bernardino County, and Big Bear Lake, and also determines how much representation we have in Sacramento and Washington, DC! Thank you!

As part of the federal  CARES Act , the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program helps unemployed Californians who are business owners, self-employed, independent contractors, have limited work history, and others not usually eligible for regular state UI benefits who are out of business or services are significantly reduced as a direct result of the pandemic.

The provisions of this program may be helpful to Big Bear businesses once the program becomes operational in the coming weeks. The program includes:

The California Economic Development Department (EDD) will begin accepting application for this program on Tuesday, April 28. The City's point person for business assistance is Christine Bennett , Senior Administrative Services Analyst, and she may also be able to help. Please contact Christine at (909) 866-5831.

Many individuals in Big Bear Lake and San Bernardino County are suffering financially as a result of the COVID-19 emergency. If you'd like to make a contribution to help others, here are two suggestions to consider:

Thank you for your kindness and generosity!

The City of Big Bear Lake has implemented various public health recommendations and restrictions for the past several weeks, and continues to do so.

The City encourages everyone to heed the following recommendations:

The following key restrictions remain in effect in Big Bear Lake:

 

The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health operates a COVID-19 Hotline for residents with questions about COVID-19. Please call (909) 387-3911 for assistance.

The City of Big Bear Lake strives to keep our residents, property owners, investors, businesses, and visitors well-informed about the City's issues and initiatives - including the COVID-19 threat - with an emphasis on information specific to Big Bear Lake and the entire Big Bear Valley.

 

The easiest way to stay-informed is to sign up for the City's email newsletter and other updates. It's easy to sign up - simply visit the City's website and click on "Text & Email Notifications" in the top center of the homepage. Simply click on the link, enter your name and email address, and you're all set. Signing up will ensure that you receive periodic updates about COVID-19 in Big Bear Lake, the City's new monthly newsletter - Elevation 6752', and other special communications from the City of Big Bear Lake for emergency situations, special events, and more.

 

In addition to the City's email updates, you can also get the latest information from the City of Big Bear Lake via the following digital platforms:

 

 

 

 

 

Please help us spread the word, and share the City's digital communications platforms with your family, friends, other residents, property owners, frequent visitors, or anyone else who is interested in Big Bear Lake. Thank you!