Item 5 - Reopening of the Poway EconomyMay 19, 2020, Item #5DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Summary: M EM ORAN DLJ M City of Poway May 19, 2020 Mayor and Members of the City Council John Mullin, Councilmember Reopening of the Poway Economy The Governor's criteria to allow us to leave our homes and go back to work include, among others, such requirements as: • The ability to monitor and protect communities by testing, contact tracing, etc. • The ability to prevent infection of people who are at risk. • The ability to develop therapeutics to meet demand. And as best I can tell, the Governor alone decides when these criteria have been met. All things considered, it is becoming evident to me that we may never have these "abilities" which means that there is no real plan to return to work. The headlines that we are opening our economy are, in my opinion, misleading. Stores being able to open for curb side pick-up only cannot really be considered open. It is doubtful to me that restaurants operating at 50% capacity can be viable. Additionally, an unintended consequence of the $600 federal unemployment insurance supplement is that employees can afford not to return to work unless th~y believe their return is permanent. All these things indicate to me that the economy will not recover quickly. Every day we don't work will delay the recovery, will extend the time our businesses will struggle, will extend the time our citizens are denied the dignity of being able to support their families and will worsen the stress on the City's budget. Our options to act locally are limited. Early indications are that the Mayor's PEARL initiative was well received by the business community and I want to continue to explore other actions we can take to support our Poway business and the local economy. Specifically, 1. I propose staff research our ability to take immediate action to temporarily support Poway businesses, such as: 1 of 2 a. Suspending the enforcement of our sign ordinance to allow banners and other currently prohibited advertising by local businesses; b. Relaxing prohibitions or standards for exterior dining; c. Allowing curbside vending of non-prepared food -homegrown or farm grown fruits and vegetables;
May 19, 2020, Item #5d. Deferral of in lieu mitigation fees on construction projects to make these payments due prior to occupancy or final inspections as opposed to the issuance of building permits; e. Declare a temporary moratorium on Business Certificate renewals; and f. Anything else that we can do to temporarily encourage economic activity and/or make it easier for a business to re-open and stay open. 2. Further, I propose that we research the feasibility and consequences of charting a path forward for Poway and for working in concert with other communities in our region toward local control and regulation. Topics for further study include development of guidelines that are consistent with the public health objectives and emphasize personal responsibility. We are confronting an unprecedented public health crisis that has caused County, State and the Federal governments to take extraordinary actions. Recommended Action: I recommend 1) that we implement the above suggestions regarding our enforcement and/or /emergency alterations of the Poway Municipal Code and 2) explore and understand our options to take proactive actions as outlined above on behalf of our citizens. I request Council concurrence to direct staff to explore ways in which Poway can reopen our economy in a swift, yet safe, manner. Attachments: None. Reviewed/Approved By: Assistant City Manager 2 of2 -Reviewed By: Alan Fenstermacher City Attorney Approved By: City Manager