Berkeley Relief Fund Update, Upcoming Town Halls, and More COVID-19 Updates

April 17, 2020

Demand for Berkeley Relief Fund Reflects Small Business Needs

The City is in the process of reviewing 1,058 small business applications to the Berkeley Relief Fund. The City has contributed $3 million to this fund, $1 million that will be allocated to small businesses. Due to the significant demand, our small businesses really need for the community to provide matching donations. If you have not donated, can you? If you have, could you give more in order to reach more in need

As people begin to receive their stimulus check from the federal government, we call upon those who have not lost their job/source of income to consider donating a portion of their check to the Berkeley Relief Fund. This will help those who have been impacted the most, and help Berkeley rebound after the state of emergency has ended. Thank you to Alliance Graphics for providing t-shirts, now available for purchase, with all profits benefiting the Berkeley Relief Fund.

In this time of crisis where we have shown that we can come together, and by giving back to our community, we can recover.

Upcoming Town Hall Tomorrow Plus Video Updates

As mentioned in previous emails, I will be joining our City Manager, Dee Williams-Ridley, and Health Officer, Dr Lisa Hernandez, in weekly town halls. Please note that the time has changed to Saturdays at noon. This is in addition to video updates that are uploaded every Monday and Wednesday evening.

The next town hall will take place tomorrow, Saturday, April 18 at noon. You can submit questions using this form.

Watch the live stream at www.jessearreguin.com

You can view previous updates here:

Efforts Underway to Protect Homeless Community

The City has prioritized assisting and protecting those who are most vulnerable from the virus. Beginning in early March, the City installed dozens of handwashing sanitation cities and distributed packages across homeless communities in anticipation of the growing threat of COVID-19. After weeks of reviewing and implementing plans to provide shelter, such efforts are underway. Just yesterday, 18 unsheltered, medically fragile individuals were tested and then given accomodations at a hotel. In addition to various hotel rooms that have been secured as part of a countywide effort to house the unsheltered, the City has also installed 18 trailers at two locations to be used for the medically frail, and to isolate those who are positive or presumed positive of COVID-19. We have also opened a new shelter, which is being used for expanding existing shelters in order to meet the requirements of social distancing as defined by the CDC.

During the shelter in place crisis, the City has not broken up any encampments or forced anyone to move. Instead, we have been working with Lifelong Medical and other agencies in providing medical care and testing to these communities, and are closely monitoring and assisting these areas to ensure that health and safety needs are met. We understand the difficulties many of us are facing during this crisis, and remain committed to protecting those most at risk.