City Manager Signs Public Order Regarding Social Distancing and Safety Protective Measures for All Essential Businesses

WHEREAS, Government Code Section 8634 empowers the City Council and
delegated officials to promulgate orders and regulations necessary to provide for
protection of life or property during a local emergency: and;

WHEREAS, the City Council has specifically delegated this authority to the City
Manager as Director of Emergency Services In Chapter 6 of Division 1 of the Torrance
Municipal Code. Further, the City Council confirmed this delegation of authority by
Resolution on March 16, 2020; and

WHEREAS, this order is issued In accordance with, and Incorporates by
reference the March 19, 2020, Executive Order Issued by Governor Newsom, Order N-
33-20 wherein the Governor ordered all Individuals living In the State of California to
stay home or at their place of residence except as needed to maintain continuity of
operations of the federal critical Infrastructure sectors, as outlined at
https://www.cisa.gov/identifying-critical-infrastructure-during-covid19: and

WHEREAS, this order Is Issued In accordance with, and Incorporates by
reference the March 16, 2020, Public Order by the City Manager under City of
Torrance's Emergency Authority closing all movie theaters, live performance venues,
bowling alleys, arcades, gyms and fitness centers, bars and nightclubs that do not
serve food and prohibiting all restaurants from serving food for consumption on
premises; and

WHEREAS, this order Is Issued In accordance with, and Incorporates by
reference the March 13,2020, Proclamation and Order of the President of the United
States declaring a national emergency In response to COVID-19; and

WHEREAS, this order Is Issued In accordance with, and Incorporates by
reference the March 12, 2020 Proclamation by the City Manager proclaiming a local
emergency as a result of the threat of COVID-19, which said Proclamation and order
was ratified by the City Council on March 17, 2020; and

WHEREAS, this order Is Issued In accordance with, and Incorporates by
reference the March 4, 2020, Executive Order Issued by Governor Newsom, Order N-
25-20 wherein the Governor proclaimed a State of Emergency In California as a result of the threat of COVID-19; and

WHEREAS, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention recommend guidelines to maintain hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette,
and social distancing to protect public health and slow the transmission of COVID-19;
and

PUBLIC ORDER NO. 2020-3
​
WHEREAS, the California Department of Public Health has issued guidance to
postpone or cancel all gatherings across the State of California to protect public health
and slow the rate of transmission of COVID-19. Gathering is defined as any event that
brings together people together in a single room or single space at the same time; and

WHEREAS, the California Department of Health states that the timely
implementation of aggressive strategies that create social distance and those that
reduce close contact of people not regularly together, including limiting gatherings, has
proven effective in prior pandemics at delaying rates of transmission and reducing
illness and death; and

WHEREAS, this order is issued in accordance with, and incorporates by
reference the Health Officer of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's
Order of March 16, 2020. The Order states that in the absence of a specific
immunization or treatment for COVID-19, social distancing is the only and most readily
available tool to prevent this disease.

WHEREAS, this order is issued in accordance with, and incorporates by
reference the Health Officer of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's
Safer at Home Order for Control of COVID-19 of March 20, 2020 which amended and
supplemented the March 16, 2020 order. This order further restricts and limits the
gathering of persons and requires the closure of all non-essential businesses.
By virtue of the authority vested in me as City Manager of the City of Torrance
pursuant to the provisions of California Government Code 8634, the City Charter,
Torrance Municipal Code 16.2.6, the laws and the Constitution of the State of California
to promulgate, issue, and enforce rules, regulations, orders, and directives, I hereby
declare the following orders to be necessary for the protection of life and property,
effective at 11:59 p.m. March 20, 2020. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

1. All essential businesses that are part of the federal critical infrastructure sectors
as outlined at https://www.cisa.gov/identifying-critical-infrastructure-during-covid19, and have been permitted to remain in operation by the Governor
including, but not limited to: banks, gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies,
laundromats and laundry service operations; shall enforce California Department
of Public health social distancing practices for their patrons both within their
interior operations and for external queues of their patrons awaiting to enter their
operations.

2. Zoning parking requirements are hereby suspended during the pendency of this
order to allow the use of up to 30 non-disabled parking stalls to allow essential
business operators to implement appropriate queuing measures that do not
encroach into fire lanes and vehicle drive-aisles.

3. Any land use condition requirements for the overnight storage of grocery carts
are hereby suspended during the pendency of this order. The intent of this
portion of the order is to assist with the patron retrieval of a grocery cart at the
queuing entrance points and the use of grocery carts in between patrons to
achieve the required 6-foot social distancing requirement.

4. All essential businesses involved in the handling and/or delivering of food or
other products to patrons shall be required to wear protective gloves during the
completion of such services.

5. If any subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or word of this Order or any
application of it to any person, structure, gathering or circumstance is held to be
invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of a court of competent jurisdiction, then
such decision will not affect the validity of the remaining portions or applications
of this Order.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that violation of this Order shall be punished as
provided by Torrance Municipal Code Section 16.2.13 or any applicable state or
municipal law. Additionally, any business that violates California Government Code
Section 8665 this Order may have their business license suspended or revoked
pursuant to Torrance Municipal Code Section 31.9.10. The violation of any provision of
this Order is declared to be a nuisance and may be abated by the City in accordance
with its authority to abate nuisances. The remedies listed in this Order are not
exclusive of any other remedies available to the City under any applicable Federal,
State, or local law and it is within the discretion of the City to seek cumulative remedies.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED this Order shall apply Citywide until rescinded by the
City Council or City Manager.

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