Santa Monica Extends Local Emergency To December 2020

SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica has extended its local emergency through Dec. 31, the city announced Monday.

The city's latest emergency supplement expands more outdoor options for businesses and continues the eviction moratorium for residents during the coronavirus pandemic.

"The twenty-sixth supplement comes as Governor Newsom and Los Angeles County leaders provide greater certainty and stability about what will and will not be permitted in the months to come as we all continue to do our part to limit community spread of COVID-19 by wearing face coverings, washing our hands, and not gathering with those outside our households," the city announced in a news release.

“This latest supplement reflects the city’s continued commitment to provide a safety net to the community and to safely allow access to recreation and activities that promote wellbeing and enrich our lives,” Interim City Manager and Director of Emergency Services Lane Dilg said in a news release. “We are here for residents and will keep looking at ways to bring us together through this crisis.”

Here are some of the ways the city's twenty-sixth supplement expands outdoor recreation opportunities that are permitted by the LA County Department of Public Health. It also allows for some socially distanced events and programs:

• Permits some events, activities, programs, and gatherings scheduled in city facilities by permit or license if they are allowed by and will be conducted in accordance with all requirements of the LA County Health Officer Orders. This supersedes and replaces Section 1 of the Ninth Supplement.
• Authorizes the Director of the Community Services Department to implement guidelines and regulations to permit the use of City sites for drive-in movie theaters, vehicle-based parades, concerts, and other events to the extent allowed by and conducted in accordance with all requirements of the County Safer at Home Order.
• Authorizes the Director of the Community Services Department to promulgate regulations and issue permits for gym and fitness establishments to engage in commercial fitness activities at City parks, City park parking lots, and City beaches.
• To continue to protect residents from losing their housing due to the economic effects of a COVID-19 impact and assist small businesses whose operations remain limited by COVID-19, the twenty-sixth supplement does the following:
  • Extends the City’s moratorium on evictions of residential tenants for reasons other than nonpayment of rent through December 31, 2020. The City’s moratorium on evictions of residential tenants for nonpayment of rent due to the financial impacts of COVID-19 was previously extended to September 30, 2020. A state law, AB 3088, precludes further extension of the City moratorium for nonpayment of rent, but implements a statewide moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent due to COVID-19 financial distress effective through January 31, 2020.
  • Extends the eviction moratorium for nonpayment of rent by commercial tenant 1s (as defined in the Fifth Revised First Supplement and explained in this press release) through December 31, 2020, subject to the requirement that for rent due after September 30, 2020, except for rent due for periods in which the commercial tenant 1’s business remains closed because the County Safer at Home Order requires it to remain closed, the commercial tenant 1 must pay at least 50% of the rent due in accordance with the terms for payment set out in the tenant’s lease.

The move also aims to help businesses in Santa Monica survive during the pandemic.

"The supplement suspends all penalties related to business licenses and business improvement district assessments for fiscal year 2019-2020 through October 31, 2020," officials said. "Penalties related to business licenses for fiscal year 2020-2021 will begin to accrue as of September 1, 2020 unless an extension application was timely filed pursuant to the Third Revised Eighteenth Supplement. Penalties related to business improvement district assessments for fiscal year 2020-2021 are not suspended and will begin to accrue if the assessments are not timely paid. This supersedes and replaces Section 5 of the Revised Fifth Supplement."

Locals can visit santamonica.gov/coronavirus for more information, or call the city’s Coronavirus Hotline at (310) 458-8400.

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