June 19, 2020
City Manager Weekly Update
LOCAL UPDATES
Open Streets Los Altos - This Weekend! 
Join your favorite downtown restaurants and retailers this Thursday through Sunday for our first Open Streets Los Altos. The City will be closing State and Main Streets for businesses to use additional space for outdoor seating and displays. Whether you're walking, biking, or driving your way in, businesses are ready to serve you. If you're ride-sharing and unsure of where to dropped-off let your Uber/Lyft know the official drop-off zones are located at the pins shown on the graphic.

Want to learn more? Visit us here ! Socially-distant dining, shopping, and strolling, starts this weekend at Open Streets Los Altos, and we're eager to see you there!
The City regularly updates the COVID-19 dedicated homepage with resources and support to keep our residents informed. Visit losaltosca.gov/covid19  to discover what's new. If you have a question or concern, please send an email to Sonia Lee at  slee@losaltosca.gov . 
COVID-19 Testing in Los Altos  
The City of Los Altos hosted a Santa Clara County “pop-up” COVID-19 testing center at Los Altos Youth Center on June 16th. Supported by City staff and volunteers, the nursing staff efficiently registered and tested 482 people, which practicing social distancing, disinfecting procedures, and mask-wearing. Each person tested will receive their confidential individual results.

If you want to get the diagnostic test for COVID-19, please see the County testing website  for information on the County’s free pop-up sites as well as other testing options. Please visit the City of Los Altos COVID-19 resource page to access information about getting assistance, making donations, the City’s response, and the senior and community helplines. 
Open Office Hours  
We are excited to announce the reinstatement of the City Council Open Office Hours! We had our first one yesterday, with about 10 residents coming to talk. If you missed it, you can visit us next Saturday, June 27th from 1pm to 3pm. To see a full list of times, click here . These Open Office Hours allow residents to come and talk to their representatives about whatever they want in an informal setting. We are excited to see you there! 
LEND A HELPING HAND
Join Us!
Help small businesses in Los Altos! Donate to the Small Business Relief Fund at www.losaltoscf.org . Let’s stand together, as one, and serve our businesses the way they serve us.

The City of Los Altos, Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, and Los Altos Community Foundation thank all donors for assisting our local businesses, knowing they need us now more than ever.

Los Altos, we are strong, and we will get through this together.
Contact-Tracing Volunteers  
You can volunteer to help the County of Santa Clara slow the transmission of COVID-19 by implementing contact tracing in order to identify people who have COVID-19 or may have been exposed to COVID-19. This important work will interrupt the chains of transmission, slowing the spread of the virus through Santa Clara County.  

The County of Santa Clara recently updated the volunteer requirements. Volunteers must:
  1. Be 18 years old or older
  2. Be able to work remotely for at least 24 hours per week, and ideally full-time at 40 hours per week
  3. Be able to work for a minimum of three months, and ideally six months or longer
  4. Have excellent customer service/interpersonal skills;
  5. Have strong written and communication skills, with an attention to detail
  6. Have computer proficiency with ability to enter data into web-based systems
  7. Be able to work remotely with reliable internet and a computer
  8. Having additional language skills beyond English is very helpful (especially Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese).
Please see the county webpage  for more information about the contact-tracing program.

If you wish to help and meet the role requirements, please respond to the volunteer intake Google form questionnaire asap at  https://bit.ly/SCCtracing .  City of Los Altos staff will make the referral to the County, and the County contact tracing program will follow-up directly with the volunteers.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Lincoln Park Rule 20A Aerial to Underground Utility Conversion Project  
In collaboration with PG&E, the City of Los Altos will soon begin a Capital Improvement Project that will move the existing power lines near Lincoln Park underground. The project is currently scheduled to begin construction in June 2020 and will be completed by late November 2020. The nature of underground utility work will require the installation of a new trench located in the street. Traffic control will be in place to ensure public safety and safety for the work crews. Lane closure and the use of flaggers are expected with the project. Total road closures are not anticipated at this time. 
Los Altos History Museum Plans Reopening Strategy  
As Santa Clara County amends its shelter-in-place Order, a task force for the  Los Altos History Museum  makes plans for how to safely reopen its indoor galleries and  gift shop  in the future. For now, the Museum remains closed to the public, with the exception of the outdoor courtyard and agricultural exhibit. 

Visitors may stroll through the garden courtyard and learn about the history of local agriculture as they browse the  outdoor exhibit , which includes a historical  Tank House , apricot drying shed, and walnut huller. The Museum requests that visitors follow County guidelines regarding social distancing, and refrain from touching exhibit equipment. Parking is limited due to construction work as the City of Los Altos builds a new community center and a pathway between the center and the library. 

For the foreseeable future, the Museum will offer any programs online via Zoom. The current exhibition, “ In the Fields of the North / En los Campos del Norte ,” is available to view on the Museum’s website through August 2nd. The exhibition highlights the social reality of contemporary migrant farm workers, told through black-and-white photographs by David Bacon and accompanied by narrative text. Shoppers may also purchase gifts from the Museum Store online .
Los Altos History Museum Announces New Board Members and Officers  
Los Altos History Museum  welcomes three new diverse members to its board of directors and a slate of new officers for its executive committee for 2020–2021. The election process, normally held on the grounds of the Museum, pivoted to a Zoom format due to COVID-19. Julia Lovin, the current Board President, conducted the online Annual Meeting of Members, which also included a report on the state of the Museum and its future goals. 

Beginning three-year terms on July 1, 2020, the  newly-elected  board members are:
 
Tyler Furuichi , whose early experiences working at his family’s business, the Los Altos Nursery, inspired him to pursue a career in landscape design. He studied Horticulture with an emphasis in Residential Landscape Design at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, graduating with a B.S. in Environmental Horticultural Science. In 2008, he founded his own landscape design and consultation business, and has expanded it to cover areas from Burlingame to Morgan Hill.  

Wayne Hooper , a native Californian, has lived in Los Altos since 1976. He spent his professional career at Santa Clara Unified School District, retiring as the District’s Assistant Superintendent — Business Services. Wayne holds a B.A. in Business from San Francisco State University, a M.A. in Business from San Jose State University, and M.A.’s in Pupil Personnel/Guidance and School Business Management from Santa Clara University. 

Arvind Ven , an independent financial advisor and head of his own firm, spent years in public and privately traded companies as a senior level executive, running businesses and focusing on Corporate Finance, Strategy, Operations and M&A. He has an MBA (Sloan Fellow) from the MIT Sloan School, and an M.S. in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University. 
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Prepare for Fire Season and Public Safety Power Shutoffs  
As we go into the summer months and the start of fire season, it’s a great time to review your family’s emergency communications plan, evacuation plan, and preparedness supplies to live without power for a few days. Start with these easy steps: 

  • Update your contact information with PG&E:   Pacific Gas & Electric will send out notifications when a Public Safety Power Shutoff event could impact your home or business. Visit pge.com/mywildfirealerts or call 1-866-743-6589 to update your contact information. If you’re not a PG&E account holder, you can sign up for ZIP Code alerts.  This is especially useful for tenants, caretakers, travelers, parents of school-age children and other non-account holders. The system allows you to select the ZIP Code(s) that you want to receive PSPS notifications for. Notifications are not address-specific as they are only based on the ZIP Code provided.  
  • Those who are interested in ZIP Code notifications can sign up for voice or text message alerts by calling 1-877-9000-PGE or texting “ENROLL” to 97633. More information about the tool is available at pge.com/pspszipcodealerts. 
  • Update your contact information with AlertSCC:  Make sure that your entire family is registered with the Santa Clara County emergency notification system, AlertSCC. If you’re already registered, check your contact information to make sure that your email, mobile phone, and other contacts are correct. Sign up here!  
  • Create or update your family communication plan to stay in touch during an event. For a template, visit us online here!
  • Make (or update) a “Go Bag” with basic supplies, important papers, and communication devices. For a list of what to include and view examples, visit losaltosca.gov/gobag And, visit PG&E’s website to get additional tips. 

If you have special energy needs due to qualifying medical conditions, sign up for  PG&E’s Medical Baseline Program . (Due to COVID-19, customers may self-certify; no doctor note required at this time.) You’ll receive extra notifications in advance of a Public Safety Power Shutoff, as well as a lower rate on your monthly energy bill.
COMING TOGETHER
Virtual Recreation Center  
Friends! Los Altos Recreation is excited to announce the launch of our Virtual Recreation Center! Los Altos Recreation continues to support maintaining your health and growth, now through captivating virtual classes. We are offering fun activities and exercises you can do at home with your friends and family. Be sure to check back daily for new activities! Follow us @LosAltosRec on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates on ways to engage and hashtag #LosAltosFunAtHome in your pictures to show us what you’re up to. Visit us at losaltosca.gov/virtualrec . 
 
Is there something you want to see on Virtual Recreation? Let us know here ! The survey doesn’t work on Safari browsers so please use Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer.   
City of Los Altos | (650) 947-2700 | www.losaltosca.gov