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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAttachment A - Emergency OrdinanceATTACHMENT A EMERGENCY ORDINANCE NO. 2020-1 AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA, PROHIBITING: (1) THE ISSUANCE OF ANY NEW SHORT TERM LODGING PERMIT PURSUANT TO NEWPORT BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 5.95; AND/OR (2) THE RENTAL OF ANY LODGING UNIT, FOR A PERIOD OF THIRTY (30) CONSECUTIVE DAYS OR LESS, TO ANY PERSON OTHER THAN A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL OR EMERGENCY RESPONDER COMING TO THE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH TO AID WITH THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK WHEREAS, Section 200 of the Charter of the City of Newport Beach ("City") vests the City Council with the authority to make and enforce all laws, rules and regulations with respect to municipal affairs subject only to the restrictions and limitations contained in the Charter and the State Constitution, and the power to exercise, or act pursuant to any and all rights, powers, and privileges, or procedures granted or prescribed by any law of the State of California; WHEREAS, on January 31, 2020, the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services announced a nationwide public health emergency, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak; WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic; WHEREAS, on March 15, 2020, Governor Newsom called for all bars, wineries, nightclubs and brewpubs to close throughout the state, urged all seniors and people with chronic health conditions to isolate themselves at home, and for restaurants to reduce occupancy by half to keep people farther away from each other; WHEREAS, on March 15, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Newport Beach City Manager Grace Leung, who is the Director of Emergency Services ("Director of Emergency Services") for the City, issued a Proclamation of Local Emergency ("Proclamation"); WHEREAS, on March 18, 2020, the Newport Beach City Council ratified the Proclamation and authorized the Director of Emergency Services to take certain actions to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public; WHEREAS, on March 19, 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-33- 20, requiring 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 ("Stay at Home Order"); 1-3 Emergency Ordinance No. 2020-1 Page 2 of 5 WHEREAS, on March 19, 2020 the Federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance identifying 14 critical infrastructure sectors whose workers provide services and functions that are essential to support a strong response to the COVID-19 outbreak; WHEREAS, on March 29, 2020, President Donald Trump announced that he would be extending the social distancing guidelines through April 30, 2020; WHEREAS, COVID-19 has been detected in hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, including, as of April 2, 2020, 60 cases in the City, and is primarily spread from person to person; WHEREAS, COVID-19 is easily transmitted, especially in group settings, and it is essential that the spread of the virus be slowed to protect the ability of public and private health care providers to handle the influx of new patients and safeguard public health and safety; WHEREAS, this worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 is emerging and rapidly evolving; WHEREAS, since the declaration of the State of Emergency, issuance of the Proclamation and issuance of the Stay at Home Order, owners of lodging units in the City of Newport Beach have continued to rent lodging units for short durations; WHEREAS, the rental of lodging units for less than thirty (30) consecutive days jeopardizes the health, safety, and welfare of the public and residents of the City because: (a) there are over 1,500 lodging units in the City that have short term lodging permits; (b) the short term lodging units, which have permits, are interwoven throughout the City's residential districts; (c) the Stay at Home Order provides that " ... all individuals living in the State of California [are] to stay home or at their place of residence, except as needed to maintain continuity of operations of the federal critical infrastructure"; and (d) the continuous turnover of persons occupying short term lodging units, which are interwoven throughout the residential districts, creates a risk that COVID-19 will spread throughout the City and beyond; WHEREAS, Charter Section 412 provides that an ordinance necessary to preserve the public peace, health or safety, may be introduced and adopted at one and the same meeting if passed by at least five affirmative votes; and WHEREAS, this emergency ordinance is necessary to limit the spread of COVID- 19 and is the least restrictive way to help ensure that the health, safety, and welfare of the public is protected. WE Emergency Ordinance No. 2020-1 Page 3 of 5 NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Newport Beach ordains as follows: Section 1: The City Council for the City of Newport Beach hereby finds and declares that this emergency ordinance is necessary to limit the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public including, but not limited to, the residents of the City of Newport Beach because there are over 1,500 short term lodging units in the City of Newport Beach, which are interwoven throughout the residential districts, and the continuous turnover of occupants at these short term lodging units creates a risk that COVID-19 will spread throughout Newport Beach and beyond. Section 2: As long as this emergency ordinance is in effect, no new permit for a short term lodging unit, which permit is required prior to renting a lodging unit on a short term basis by Chapter 5.95 of the Newport Beach Municipal Code ("NBMC"), shall be issued by the City of Newport Beach. For purposes of this emergency ordinance, the definition of: (a) "short term" shall have the same meaning as Section 5.95.010 (C) of the NBMC; and the definition of "lodging unit" shall have the same meaning as Section 5.95.010 (A) of the NBMC. Section 3: As long as this emergency ordinance is in effect, it shall be unlawful for any owner, as defined in Section 5.95.010 (B) of the NBMC, or agent of an owner, to rent, let, advertise for rent, or enter into an agreement for the rental of any lodging unit, for a short term. Nothing in this section shall be construed, however, to bar or preclude an existing permit holder from renting a lodging unit for a short term to a medical professional or emergency responder coming to the City of Newport Beach to aid with the COVID-19 outbreak. The owner of the short-term lodging unit or units is responsible for compliance with the provisions of this section and the failure of an agent, or any other person or entity to comply with this section shall be deemed non-compliance by the owner. Section 4: Any person currently occupying a lodging unit for a short term may continue such occupancy, but all such rental agreements or arrangements for such rental shall be terminated by operation of this section on or before April 10, 2020. 1-5 Emergency Ordinance No. 2020-1 Page 4 of 5 Section 5: A violation of this emergency ordinance shall be a misdemeanor punishable pursuant to Section 2.20.100 and/or Section 1.04.010 of the NBMC. All peace officers are hereby authorized to enforce this emergency ordinance and to arrest any persons who does not obey the provisions set forth in this emergency ordinance. Section 6: The City Manager shall take any and all action to ensure that this emergency ordinance and the provisions contained herein are given widespread publicity. Section 7: The City Manager and Director of Emergency Services is hereby authorized to issue orders and regulations and take such other actions as may be necessary or appropriate to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. Section 8 The recitals provided in this emergency ordinance are true and correct and are incorporated into the substantive portion of this emergency ordinance. Section 9: If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this emergency ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity or constitutionality of the remaining portions of this emergency ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this emergency ordinance and each section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase hereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid or unconstitutional. Section 10: The City Council finds and determines that the introduction and adoption of this emergency ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") pursuant to Sections 15269(c) (the activity is necessary to prevent or mitigate an emergency), 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. Section 11: This emergency ordinance shall become effective upon its adoption and shall continue in full force and effect until: (a) the State of Emergency is terminated by proclamation of the Governor of California; (b) the local emergency proclaimed on March 15, 2020 and ratified by the City Council on March 18, 2020, is terminated by proclamation of the City Council; or (c) such time as this emergency ordinance is repealed in whole, or in part, by the City Council. W01 Emergency Ordinance No. 2020-1 Page 5 of 5 Section 12: The Mayor shall sign, and the City Clerk shall attest to the passage of this emergency ordinance. The City Clerk shall cause the emergency ordinance, or a summary thereof, to be published pursuant to City Charter Section 414. This emergency ordinance was introduced and adopted at a special meeting of the City Council of the City of Newport Beach held on the 3rd day of April 2020, by the following vote, to -wit: AYES: NAYS: ABSENT: WILL O'NEILL, MAYOR ATTEST: LEILANI I. BROWN, CITY CLERK APPROVED AS TO FORM: CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE /f }_ C_V� AARON C. HARP, CITY ATTORNEY 1-7