Christy Holstege, Mayor of Palm Springs

I’m so proud we’re vaccinating up to 1000 people a day at the Palm Springs Convention Center! New appointments released for Monday 4/12 for anyone 16 years old and up. We also have vaccine buddies available through partner organizations if you need help making an appointment for any reason.

Here's a message from Christy Holstege, Mayor of Palm Springs. Are you eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and need help finding an appointment? For more information visit www.palmspringsca.gov/vaccinebuddies .

A new affordable housing project is coming to Palm Springs! Check out this piece in Palm Springs Life featuring CHOC’s Monarch Apartments. The multifamily construction will be designed to blend with the surrounding neighborhood, which includes Donald Wexler’s iconic Steel Houses.

COMMUNITY ADVISORY: Riverside County health officials expand vaccine eligibility to those with underlying health illness; More occupations now added to those eligible for vaccine, doses limited March 15, 2021... Those 16 to 64 years old with certain underlying health conditions will now be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as Riverside County health officials expand the eligibility criteria, effective today. With hundreds of thousands of residents newly eligible for vaccine, county officials remind the community that supply of vaccine continues to be limited. Those who make appointments will be asked during the onsite screening whether they have any of the listed illnesses. Individuals will be vaccinated if they answer in the affirmative. No doctor’s note or medical record is required to be eligible. The health conditions include cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic pulmonary disease, Down syndrome, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, heart condition (excluding hypertension), severe obesity, Type 2 diabetes mellitus or have an immunocompromised state from a solid organ transplant. Many of our residents with underlying health conditions have been patiently waiting to get their shot, said Board Chair Karen Spiegel, Second District Supervisor. We’re appreciative that we can now protect this vulnerable population from COVID-19. Getting vaccinated is an important way to stay healthy and recover from this pandemic. In addition, the list of occupations that now qualify to be vaccinated has expanded to include janitors, couriers who handle vaccine supplies and emergency supplies, massage therapists, those who work in foster care, utility workers, social workers, homeless shelter workers, library staff and public transit workers. For a complete list of professions who are eligible to be vaccinated, visit www.rivcoph.org/covid-19-vaccine. By expanding the eligibility to include those with certain underlying health conditions and new job categories, the number of those who can now be vaccinated has grown by hundreds of thousands, said Kim Saruwatari, director of Public Health. We are well on the way to vaccinating everyone in Riverside County who wants to be vaccinated. Riverside County has administered more than 620,000 vaccines between the county-operated clinics and those operated by community providers. The vaccines available in Riverside County are from Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Media Contact: Jose Arballo Jr. RUHS-Public Health (951) 712-3705 cell [email protected]

Join us today at 2 pm for the Palm Springs Black History Committee’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Celebration live on Facebook!

I wanted to share some of the latest updates I sent our local elected, business, community and agriculture leaders as a follow up to our noon zoom update. Toda...y has been another incredibly active day for the County team as they continue with the vaccine roll-out. Again, we have to stress that the rate-limiting aspect continues to be the limited supply of vaccine that we are receiving, which cannot keep pace with the enormous demand. Unfortunately, we have seen some media interviews tonight that have blamed this on unpreparedness by the County, and not on the reality that our constraints are due to supply and ever changing eligibility imposed on us by the Federal and State governments. The County is completely ready and able to administer doses as soon as we receive the required amount. Here are the most recent updates. Logistics The County last received a shipment of vaccines this Tuesday. We had about 14,000 doses as of this morning, which is expected to carry us through Sunday’s booked appointments. We have been receiving additional doses once a week, and are anticipating/needing a delivery by Monday, or Tuesday at the latest, to service all of the appointments scheduled for next week. Unfortunately, we usually don’t receive advance notice when the shipments have gone out. We are working on a contingency plan to check with the hospitals for unused doses should we not receive a shipment on Monday, in order to service Tuesday appointments. This afternoon we opened up 11,000 appointment slots for four testing locations Tues-Fri next week. All 11,000 appointments were filled within two hours. We are drawing on staff from various County Departments to help step in and augment our and staffing. Should we receive another weekly shipment from the State, our target timeline is to open up the appointment portal next Friday at noon for the following week, similar to what we did today, so that the public can come to expect a consistent date/time to book appointments. Communications Several changes were made to our website today to provide greater clarity and more detail on the distribution efforts. These include: Showing Doses Allocated (i.e.- how many we are supposed to have received from the State) vs. Doses Received Breaking out how many have gone to our Provider partners vs. Public Health A listing of how many doses each provider is receiving By the end of today, the County will have stood up two additional servers to help improve the speed and consistency of the website, and have it scalable for such future time as we are able to add locations, all of course depending on a more predictable vaccine delivery chain. We are also working on a feature that will allow the public to register to be notified when changes are made to the website. We switched from the Office of Aging phone number to 211 to help seniors register. We are still experiencing significant delays there, and will add additional operators. We are looking to expand the FAQ’s on the website to cover inquiries of recurring interest. Partnerships The County is receiving many offers of assistance and have several sites to choose from at such time as the supply chain increases. Amongst several key partnerships that we are activating soon are: Growers and health care providers for the farm worker community for on-site vaccinations IEHP is stepping up in a big way with an offer of staffing, which will be particularly valuable on weekends. We are talking to Golden Voice Entertainment for help with logistics including tents, traffic control, etc. If we hear anything substantial over the weekend we will let you know.

Riverside County Offering a Vaccine Clinic for Health Care Workers this Thursday Riverside County Public Health System is offering healthcare workers a free COVID-19 vaccine clinic this Thursday, January 7, 2021 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Roy Wilson Training Center located at 72564 Ramon Road in Thousand Palms. You must work in the health care categories listed in Riverside County and you must register for the vaccine and show proof of healthcare worker status. Categorie...s include: Acute Care Skilled Nursing Facilities and Assisted Living Facilities (medically vulnerable individuals) First Responders (paramedic/EMTs) Correctional Hospitals Behavior Health (psychiatric) Dialysis Centers (staff) Pharmacist & Pharmacy Staff Intermediate Care Facilities Home Health and IHSS Public Health (field)/DPSS Community Health Workers Primary Care & Community Clinics Urgent Cares (stand-alone) Specialty Clinics Laboratory Workers Dental/Oral Health Clinics Mortuary Services Industries To register go to: https://cw.calvax.org/client/registration?clinic_id=3755 and for more information, go to: https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/

This is extremely serious. Please stay home as much as possible, wear a mask, practice social distancing and stay safe.

Watch or call in with comments to our city council meeting tomorrow at 5:30. Here are a few items we’ll be discussing: Resolution in support of SB 74, Keep America Working Act which would provide $2.6B of grants to small businesses under 100 employees and impacted by COVID Approval of amendment to agreement with Tesla for 13 more FREE super chargers in our downtown parking structure Appointing city council liaisons for issues and organizations ... Approval of agreement with PS Resorts West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation’s application for a 71 unit affordable housing project on Palm Canyon at Stevens Grit Development downtown residential project Confirm local match from QUIMBY Act Funds for $1.6M federal grant to rehabilitate Demuth Dog Park Requests for HHAP homelessness dollars (part of our $10M) for affordable housing projects Allocate $1M for small business assistance See you then!

Round 1 of the California Governor's Office of Business & Economic Development's $500 million Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program for small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID restrictions will open for applications tomorrow -- on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 8 AM. Grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded to eligible small businesses and nonprofits to help cover expenses during the pandemic. Apply for a grant here: https://careliefgrant.com/ The grant application closes on Friday, Jan. 8 at 11:59 PM.

Thank you to everyone who emailed us about supporting local businesses during this time. Councilmember Geoff Kors and I are holding a special business task force meeting tomorrow with key leaders representing all of our industries to discuss options that we could consider as a community. We will then report the outcomes and ideas that come out of that meeting. What are the ways the city can best support our small and local businesses now through the end of this hopefully last wave? Comment here or email me at [email protected].

Today the city council is spending all day (8-6) in a special session interviewing candidates for our next city manager. Thank you to District 4 residents who asked for channels for community involvement in this process which I brought to council and the 119 people who submitted questions and topics for us to ask about today through a public process. What do you think we should be looking in our next city manager? Comment here or email us!

Over the past three years, we invested public safety by: - Reopening a Fire Station in District 4 - Renovating the Police Station - Hiring Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services to pre-recession levels - Doubling mental health workers working with PSPD for homelessness... For the full interview on KESQ Channel 3, visit; https://kesq.com//palm-springs-district-4-candidates-disc/ #ReElectChristy #PalmSprings

I’m proud to represent Sunrise Park in District 4, which offers a number of services and amenities for residents like our Palm Springs Library, the Boys and Girls Club, the Mizell Senior Center, and our community pool. I would be proud to continue to represent our beautiful District 4 and the residents of Palm Springs. #ReElectChristy #PalmSprings #2020Elections

I am proud to have received an endorsement from all of the Palm Springs Councilmembers and the Mayor. They’ve seen firsthand my dedication, my work ethic, and my commitment to this city. I would love to earn your vote this November so that we can continue our work together on behalf of our city. #ReElectChristy #PalmSprings #2020Elections

On City Council, I’ve worked to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in our city to make sure that our city government and our boards and commissions are representative of all of our residents. #ReElectChristy #PalmSprings #2020Elections

"I am incredibly proud to receive the Sierra Club's endorsement in my re-election campaign, after working together for the last three years to achieve environmental justice in my role as a Palm Springs City Councilmember. If re-elected, I pledge to continue to champion policies that preserve open space, protect our desert ecosystems, combat climate change, promote clean energy, and build a healthy for all residents. Learn more at buff.ly/2XQcm2D Estoy increíblemente orgullos...a de recibir el endoso del Sierra Club en mi campaña de reelección, después de trabajar juntos durante los últimos tres años para lograr la justicia ambiental en mi papel como concejal de la ciudad de Palm Springs. Si soy reelegida, me comprometo a seguir defendiendo las políticas que preservan los espacios abiertos, protegen nuestros ecosistemas desérticos, luchan contra el cambio climático, promueven la energía limpia y construyen una vida saludable para todos los residentes. Obtenga más información en buff.ly/2XQcm2D" #ReElectChristy #PalmSprings2020 #PalmSprings #2020Elections

Proud to be the only officially endorsed Democratic candidate in the race for Palm Springs City Council, District 4. #ReElectChristy #PalmSprings #2020Elections

I’m incredibly proud to be the only candidate who received the endorsement of the Sierra Club and environmental leaders who saved the Chino Cone, Oswit Canyon, and important spaces throughout our city for my actual track record on preserving open space in partnership with our residents! We have so much more to do together. #palmsprings #reelectchristy

The election is less than two weeks away, and Christy needs your support! If you are willing to write a short letter to the editor to explain why you support Christy for Palm Springs District 4. See link below for instructions: https://www.desertsun.com//submit-letter-to-the-e/6684741/ #ReElectChristy #PalmSprings #2020Elections

I'm so grateful to be endorsed and supported by so many wonderful people and organizations. Don't forget to vote - your voice matters! #ReElectChristy #PalmSprings #2020Elections

If re-elected, I will build off the council's accomplishments off the past few years: - Obtained $10M from the State for homelessness - Saved Oswit Canyon - Approved affordable housing developments - Reopened a fire station in District 4... - Have fully funded Police, Fire, Emergency, and Medical services - And many more! #ReElectChristy #PalmSprings #2020Elections See more

Thank you to everyone for all of your support and endorsements so far!! So proud to be the only officially endorsed Democratic candidate in this race and to have received all of these endorsements and so many more! #ReElectChristy #PalmSprings2020

I am incredibly humbled to be endorsed by Congressman Raul Ruiz, MD, especially after working together to keep our community safe during COVID-19. #ReElectChristy #PalmSprings @repraulruizmd