Butte County, California

Press Release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 5, 2020... BUTTE COUNTY DISTRIBUTES SMALL BUSINESS GRANT FUNDS Butte County, Ca.-- Butte County is pleased to announce that grant funds from the Butte Business Stabilization Program are beginning to be distributed. This week 51 small business located throughout Butte County will be receiving grant funds between $15,000 and $25,000. In total, within the next six weeks, approximately 310 businesses will receive grant funds. Delivering these grant funds to local businesses is an honor, said Butte County Board of Supervisor Chair, Steve Lambert. The Butte County Board of Supervisors support our local businesses, and we hope that these funds ease some of the pain they have experienced over these past several months. The Butte Business Stabilization Small Business Grant Program is funded through the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds to support small businesses impacted by COVID-19. These grant funds are necessary to assist Butte County businesses with costs associated with the impacts of temporary business closures, the costs associated with adherence to local requirements for safe business re-openings, and the financial impacts due to loss of sales as a result of COVID-19. 3CORE EDC, the program administrator, has been working with businesses since the close of the application period in early October to determine eligibility and help businesses connect with other business resources available throughout the County to aid in relief from the impacts of the pandemic. Working with business owners through this grant process has been extremely gratifying, said 3CORE Program Manager, Luis Moreno. It has been incredible to hear each business owner’s unique story about how they’re navigating the pandemic. Our team is honored to be part of a program that will have such a significant impact on local small businesses and in our community. ###

Veterans Day is November 11, Thank you for your service. Butte County Offices will be closed on Wednesday, November 11, 2020.

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 4, 2020 BUTTE COUNTY OPENS NORTH COMPLEX RECOVERY RIGHT-OF-ENTRY CENTER AND INFORMATION LINE... Oroville, Calif.Property Owners whose homes or other structures burned in the North Complex Fire must sign up for Phase II Debris Removal. Property Owners can sign up for the Government Program by submitting a Right-of-Entry (ROE) form by December 15, 2020. Property Owners who choose to hire a private contractor and consultant(s) must sign up for the Alternative Fire Debris Removal Program (Alternative Program) by completing an application and submitting a work plan to Butte County Environmental Health. A North Complex Fire Recovery ROE Center is now open at 78 Table Mountain Blvd. in Oroville for property owners to submit ROE forms and ask questions about the North Complex Debris Removal program. The ROE Center will be open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. Property Owners may also call the ROE Center directly at (530) 552.3210. Butte County is working with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and other federal and state partners to facilitate the safe removal and handling of household hazardous waste (Phase I) and other fire-related debris (Phase II). Phase I requires no registration, but Phase II requires that survivors sign up for one of the two programs. Property owners must complete an ROE form to participate in the Government Program which allows access to private property for debris removal. The ROE form is available online at https://buttecountyrecovers.org/ncf-debris-removal-phase-ii/ or in person at the ROE Center or Butte County Library Oroville Branch at 1820 Mitchell Ave., Oroville CA 95965. Information about the Alternative Program can be found on the recovery website. ### See more

Beginning today, Butte County Library will allow limited use of public computers. In accordance with COVID-19 guidelines, social distancing and masks will be required, in addition to a time limit on computer use.

Butte County Election Statistics November 3, 2020 @ Noon.

A day in the life of a ballot..... Butte County Clerk-Recorder's Office offers some insight into what happens to ballots before, during and after the election.

Have you voted yet? Voter Assistance Centers are open through tomorrow Nov. 3, 2020.

Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 30, 2020 BUTTE COUNTY LIBRARY TO ALLOW LIMITED USE OF PUBLIC COMPUTERS Butte County, Calif.-- Beginning November 3, 2020, the Butte County Library will allow limited use of public computers. All Covid-19 safety precautions will remain in place. ... Computers will be spaced at least 6 feet apart, with a limited use of one hour a day per patron. For access, users will be issued a guest pass. Supplies will be on hand for patrons to wipe down their computer station. Staff will also clean stations throughout the day. Library patrons are encouraged to browse and check-out items; however, chairs will only be available at the computer stations. Staff assistance will be limited. In accordance with COVID-19 guidelines, physical distancing and masks will be required. For more information, please call Butte County Library at 530-552-5652, option 2. ### See more

Join PG&E for a PSPS Briefing tonight at 6pm:

*** Update October 27, 2 PM *** PG&E PSPS Update: More Than 228,000 Customers Have Been Restored by Tuesday Morning PG&E Issued Weather All Clear for All Are...as at 1:45 PM Today Aerial, Vehicle and On-The-Ground Patrols Confirm at Least 36 Instances of Damage or Hazards to Electric Equipment So Far 106 Community Resource Centers Provide Water, Restrooms, Device Charging and More PG&E Partners with Community-Based Organizations to Assist Customers with Medical, Financial, Language and Aging Needs Before, During and After PSPS events PG&E restored power Tuesday morning to more than 228,000 of the approximately 345,000 customers impacted by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) that started Sunday morning on Oct. 25. PG&E crews began restoring power to customers where no damage or hazards to electrical equipment were found during inspections that began as early as Monday morning in locations where the weather all clear was received. In areas where equipment was damaged by the severe wind event, crews worked safely and as quickly as possible to make the repairs and restore those customers. Due to continuing high winds and dynamic weather conditions, the weather all clear notification for the remaining impacted areas was issued at 1:45 PM today. Following this all clear, PG&E crews are now beginning power restoration efforts in areas that are still out of power. These remaining customers are expected to have power back on by late Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning. PG&E crews will have patrolled over 17,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines for damage or hazards before all customers have been restored. The patrol and inspection efforts include nearly 1,800 ground patrol units, 65 helicopters and one airplane. Preliminary data shows at least 36 identified instances of weather-related damage and hazards in the PSPS-affected areas. Examples include downed lines and vegetation on power lines. If PG&E had not de-energized power lines, these types of damage could have caused wildfire ignitions. PSPS Restoration PG&E has restored 228,000 customers as of this morning and expects all remaining customers to have power back on late Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning. Restoration may be delayed for some customers if there is significant damage to individual lines, which could be caused by wind-blown branches and other debris. The restoration process PG&E follows includes: Patrol PG&E crews work to look for potential weather-related damage to the lines, poles and towers. This is done by foot, vehicle and air. Repair Where equipment damage is found, PG&E crews isolate the damaged area from the rest of the system so other parts of the system can be energized. Restore Once the system is safe to energize, PG&E's Control Center can complete the process and restore power to affected areas. Notify Customers Customers are notified that power has been restored. For more information on the PSPS event, visit www.pge.com/pspsupdates. Extreme Winds Recorded Across Service Area Winds in de-energized areas due to PSPS were observed as follows: County, Max recorded sustained winds (mph), Max recorded wind gusts (mph) Sonoma, 76, 89 Napa, 54, 82 Contra Costa, 55, 74 Lake, 57, 71 Placer, 42, 71 Alameda, 52, 66 More Information on PG&E PSPS Events PG&E’s goal is to have essentially all customers affected by the PSPS who can receive power to be restored within 12 daylight hours of the weather All Clear for each affected area. PG&E uses a PSPS only as the last resort to protect community and customer safety against wildfires, given dry and windy weather, dry vegetation and an elevated fire risk across portions of its service area. PG&E will submit a report detailing damages from the severe weather conditions to the California Public Utilities Commission within 10 days of the completion of the PSPS. For more information on the PSPS event, visit www.pge.com/pspsupdates. Community Resource Centers To support our customers during this PSPS event, PG&E opened 106 Community Resource Centers (CRCs) that operate from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. throughout the event. These temporary CRCs will be open to customers when power is out at their homes and will provide ADA-accessible restrooms, hand-washing stations, medical-equipment charging, Wi-Fi, bottled water, grab-and-go bags, and non-perishable snacks. As of this morning, about 21,000 customers have visited a CRC. PG&E updates its CRC locations regularly. Visit www.pge.com/pspsupdates for the latest. Support for Customers with Medical Needs PG&E is also partnering with 55 community-based organizations (CBOs) to assist customers with medical, financial, language, and aging needs before, during, and after PSPS events. These activities include: Collaborating with the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) through a grant program to support the Access and Functional Needs (AFN) community. This support for customers with medical and independent living needs includes: -Enabling qualifying customers who use electrical medical devices to access backup portable batteries - Emergency preparedness outreach and education - Promotion of Medical Baseline Program - Accessible transportation resources - Hotel stays - Food stipends - Working with 20 food banks and 17 local Meals on Wheels chapters. - Expanding availability of materials in American Sign Language (ASL). - Providing emergency information in 13 languages. - Establishing an advisory group to help create solutions for emergency preparedness for customers with medical needs. Details about these resources are at our website at www.pge.com/disabilityandaging Also, as of Oct. 27, PG&E provided approximately 1,700 portable batteries to customers to support backup power, including: -Approximately 700 portable batteries provided to customers through CFILC’s Disability Disaster Access and Resources Program. -Approximately 1,000 portable batteries provided to customers through PG&E’s Portable Battery Program. Prevention, Preparedness and Support It is important that PG&E has your current contact information so you can be notified and be better prepared if a wildfire or PSPS event may impact your home or business. To set up your alerts, visit www.pge.com/alerts. With the increased wildfire threat our state faces, PG&E is enhancing and expanding our efforts to reduce wildfire risks and keep our customers and communities safe. Our Community Wildfire Safety Program includes short, medium and long-term plans to make our system safer. For tips on how to prepare for emergencies and outages, visit our Safety Action Center at www.safetyactioncenter.pge.com.

Butte County is starting a re-visioning of the North Chico Specific Plan (NCSP) with a focus on the North Chico Village area. This process will explore land use options that are formed by community collaboration and input. Lots of ways to participate!!

Butte County is currently revising the North Chico Specific Plan (NCSP) with a focus on re-visioning the North Chico Village area. This process will explore conceptual land use options that are formed by community and stakeholder collaboration and input. The revised NCSP will be used to guide the preparation of development plans for the North Chico Village. Butte County will host a series of three virtual workshops where residents and stakeholders will have a chance to provide valuable input into the visualization and planning of the North Chico Village. Additional information and links to the workshops are available at www.NorthChicoVillage.com. The first of the three virtual workshops will be held on October 28 from 6-8pm.

Protecting Those Who Serve "Fit for Duty" goes beyond physical fitness. It's equally important to take care of our mental fitness. The incidents and stressors that First Responders deal with every day, the ones they "shrug off" as "part of the job", can mount up over time and take a toll. Join the conversation about how to prevent suicide among our colleagues, peers and friends at Each Mind Matters, on October 28, 2020, 11:00-11:30 a.m

Supervisor Bill Connelly Town Hall meeting on the North Complex Fire Recovery