CITY MANAGER SIGNS PUBLIC ORDER PROHIBITING ALL STREET FAIRS, BLOCK PARTIES, PARADES, AND OTHER PUBLIC GATHERINGS

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 4, 2020, the 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, this order is issued in accordance with, and incorporates by
reference the March 12, 2020 Proclamation by the City Manager proclaiming a local
emergency, 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 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 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, 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

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, that prohibits all public and private group events and mass
gathering of 50 or more people. The Order also requires social distancing for smaller
groups. 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.

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 19, 2020. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

1. All street fairs are prohibited.
2. All block parties are prohibited.
3. All parades are prohibited.
4. All community runs and cycling events are prohibited.
5. All swap meets are closed to the public except for food vendors. Food vendors
are prohibited from serving food for consumption on the premises. Food
vendors may continue to operate for purposes of preparing and offering their
products to customers via delivery service, to be picked up or via drive-thru. For
those food vendors offering pick-up options, proprietors are directed to comply
with CDC guidelines for social distancing practices for those patrons in the
queue for pick-up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that
achieving space of approximately six feet is advisable. Food vendors must
comply with Paragraph 6 of the Public Order by City Manager Under City of
Torrance's Emergency Authority (March 16, 2020).
6. All stores within the Del Amo Fashion Center that are solely accessed from
within the internal corridors of the mall are closed to the public. This restriction
does not apply to any store with external entrances and exits. This order does
not modify the existing restrictions on retail food and beverage facilities found in
Paragraphs 3,4, 5, and 6 of the Public Order by City Manager Under City of
Torrance's Emergency Authority (March 16, 2020).

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that violation of this Order shall be punished as
provided byTorrance Municipal Code Section 16,2.13 or any applicable state or
municipal law. Additionally, any business that violates 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.
​

public_order_2020-3_issued_3-18-2020.pdf
File Size:	272 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

---