ARTICLE
O’ my goodness, 2020 has brought us six months of trying to unravel the unimaginable that is causing havoc in a global pandemic. Then we see human lives taken because of race, watching Black Lives Matter marches turn to protests where looting and violence erupt leaving cities looking like war zones. And just as businesses were beginning to find creative ways to bring back customers with outside dinning, on-line sales and marketing presence, social distancing protocols —on Tuesday we received a new order from the Governor putting a pause on the economic recovery plan. The pandemic cases are escalating to the next level leading to more infections putting our health system on emergency overload. We may see more business closures, sheltering in place orders, face coverings, mandatory and necessary social distancing requirements and asking the public to follow COVID-19 protocols necessary to protect human life. Every day since the pandemic hit us with a gut punch it seems like this is Ground Hog Day over and over and over again. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom, during one of his regular live-broadcast COVID-19 broadcasts, acknowledged Santa Cruz County’s addition to its watch list. “We just included Santa Cruz on the monitoring list, (with 37 of our 58 counties) now on the watch list, referred to as the monitoring list,” Newsom said. “Those are a cohort of counties that are on that list that are getting the most support in terms of targeted intervention and efforts to mitigate the spread of this disease.” Newsom was asked by a reporter at what point he might consider uniform statewide standards for reopening, rather than individualized efforts. He said, that while most were relying on state health orders, some counties not on the watch list had unique conditions. Newsom highlighted the skyrocketing COVID-19 case counts in the eight-county Central Valley, where he was sending $53 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control. Santa Cruz County, while not facing the same pace of increased cases, we have reversed the trend of slowing the spread that had been our mantra earlier in the pandemic. “We will get through this. This is not a permanent state,” Newsom said at the end of his briefing Monday. “This is not the rest of our lives. Quite the contrary. We have remarkable capacity to bend this curve again. We did it as a state many, many months ago. We will do it again.” In addition to statewide closures Newsom announced July 13, Santa Cruz County is now required to shut down additional industries and activities — unless they can be modified to operate outside or by curb side pick-up. Those closures include: • Gyms and fitness centers • Places of worship and cultural ceremonies, like weddings and funerals • Offices for non-critical infrastructure sectors • Personal care services, like nail salons and body waxing • Hair salons and barbershops • Shopping malls Statewide, all counties are required to close indoor operations in these sectors: • Dine-in restaurants • Wineries and tasting rooms • Movie theaters • Family entertainment centers (for example: bowling alleys, miniature golf, batting cages and arcades) • Zoos and museums • Card rooms Separately, shops that offer tattoos, piercings and electrolysis may not be operated outdoors and must close. Now, at a most critical moment, we turn to our leaders and ask them to deftly respond to the pandemic. In a sea of uncertainty, the current back and forth political attitude in Washington DC and the commentary from our federal leaders is marred on politics over good policy. At present we’ve seen this act before — a Democratic House of Representative proposal idling for two months, and then followed by a Republican Senate funding strategy that falls short of what the Democrats have offered, and complicated by the White House message who delivers a third strategy. It is time for us to ask our policy leaders to listen to us, learn from our current experiences and lead by example? When countries across the globe are seeking a unified process, we have set the stage where a national mission is pushed to each state and county to work out a solution. The country is torn apart and there is a hewn cry for help. Who is listening to the masses’ plea to work together and put down the political rhetoric? Our country seems to have become very focused on a what’s in it for me (WIIFM) attitude. Imagine the effect if we shifted our focus from WIIFM to What’s in it for them (WIIFT). We may not change the entire world; it may not slow the spread of the virus right away, but we could definitely impact where we live and work in a more productive way. What if every decision every person made in our daily lives (both at home and at work) was centered on WIIFT? Think about what it is like to work with your colleagues, employees and employers. How different would your workplace (and our country) be if everyone focused on what they could give or do for each other? So, instead of thinking what’s in it for me, or how does it affect me. We think about what’s in it for them. We ask ourselves, what could we do to make their life easier or better at work? How could we help them more? Kindness, respect, trust and accountability would thrive in a WIIFT culture! We can do better, and we must do better. On mid-day Tuesday, the Senate Republicans have countered another proposal Senator Rubio's PPP legislation that could potentially be meshed into the House version HEROS ACT - House that passed the House in May. This is significant progress as the legislative clock is ticking and the economic health and wellbeing of individuals, employees, non-profit businesses, state and local governments, schools — our country lay at the hands of our legislative leaders in our Nation’s Capitol. Meanwhile up in our State Capitol, the Democratic controlled legislature is working on its own state coronavirus stimulus plan in case the Congress doesn’t react: Democratic state lawmakers debuted a new proposal for a $100 billion stimulus plan Monday evening, aimed at relieving economic pain caused by the pandemic. New support for small businesses and protections for workers make up a substantial portion of the the plan. An outline for the proposal states that it would bring in “new revenues without raising taxes.” The plan proposes a combination of a new tax voucher program, borrowing from the federal government and accelerating existing funds to raise a total of $100 billion for economic relief. It is a What’s In It for Them (WIIFT) moment. I hope and trust they are listening.
O’ my goodness, 2020 has brought us six months of trying to unravel the unimaginable that is causing havoc in a global pandemic. Then we see human lives taken because of race, watching Black Lives Matter marches turn to protests where looting and violence erupt leaving cities looking like war zones. And just as businesses were beginning to find creative ways to bring back customers with outside dinning, on-line sales and marketing presence, social distancing protocols —on Tuesday we received a new order from the Governor putting a pause on the economic recovery plan.
The pandemic cases are escalating to the next level leading to more infections putting our health system on emergency overload. We may see more business closures, sheltering in place orders, face coverings, mandatory and necessary social distancing requirements and asking the public to follow COVID-19 protocols necessary to protect human life.
Every day since the pandemic hit us with a gut punch it seems like this is Ground Hog Day over and over and over again.
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom, during one of his regular live-broadcast COVID-19 broadcasts, acknowledged Santa Cruz County’s addition to its watch list. “We just included Santa Cruz on the monitoring list, (with 37 of our 58 counties) now on the watch list, referred to as the monitoring list,” Newsom said. “Those are a cohort of counties that are on that list that are getting the most support in terms of targeted intervention and efforts to mitigate the spread of this disease.”
Newsom was asked by a reporter at what point he might consider uniform statewide standards for reopening, rather than individualized efforts. He said, that while most were relying on state health orders, some counties not on the watch list had unique conditions. Newsom highlighted the skyrocketing COVID-19 case counts in the eight-county Central Valley, where he was sending $53 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control. Santa Cruz County, while not facing the same pace of increased cases, we have reversed the trend of slowing the spread that had been our mantra earlier in the pandemic.
“We will get through this. This is not a permanent state,” Newsom said at the end of his briefing Monday. “This is not the rest of our lives. Quite the contrary. We have remarkable capacity to bend this curve again. We did it as a state many, many months ago. We will do it again.”
In addition to statewide closures Newsom announced July 13, Santa Cruz County is now required to shut down additional industries and activities — unless they can be modified to operate outside or by curb side pick-up. Those closures include:
• Gyms and fitness centers
• Places of worship and cultural ceremonies, like weddings and funerals
• Offices for non-critical infrastructure sectors
• Personal care services, like nail salons and body waxing
• Hair salons and barbershops
• Shopping malls
Statewide, all counties are required to close indoor operations in these sectors:
• Dine-in restaurants
• Wineries and tasting rooms
• Movie theaters
• Family entertainment centers (for example: bowling alleys, miniature golf, batting cages and arcades)
• Zoos and museums
• Card rooms
Separately, shops that offer tattoos, piercings and electrolysis may not be operated outdoors and must close.
Now, at a most critical moment, we turn to our leaders and ask them to deftly respond to the pandemic. In a sea of uncertainty, the current back and forth political attitude in Washington DC and the commentary from our federal leaders is marred on politics over good policy. At present we’ve seen this act before — a Democratic House of Representative proposal idling for two months, and then followed by a Republican Senate funding strategy that falls short of what the Democrats have offered, and complicated by the White House message who delivers a third strategy. It is time for us to ask our policy leaders to listen to us, learn from our current experiences and lead by example?
When countries across the globe are seeking a unified process, we have set the stage where a national mission is pushed to each state and county to work out a solution. The country is torn apart and there is a hewn cry for help. Who is listening to the masses’ plea to work together and put down the political rhetoric?
Our country seems to have become very focused on a what’s in it for me (WIIFM) attitude. Imagine the effect if we shifted our focus from WIIFM to What’s in it for them (WIIFT). We may not change the entire world; it may not slow the spread of the virus right away, but we could definitely impact where we live and work in a more productive way. What if every decision every person made in our daily lives (both at home and at work) was centered on WIIFT?
Think about what it is like to work with your colleagues, employees and employers. How different would your workplace (and our country) be if everyone focused on what they could give or do for each other? So, instead of thinking what’s in it for me, or how does it affect me. We think about what’s in it for them. We ask ourselves, what could we do to make their life easier or better at work? How could we help them more? Kindness, respect, trust and accountability would thrive in a WIIFT culture!
We can do better, and we must do better.
On mid-day Tuesday, the Senate Republicans have countered another proposal Senator Rubio's PPP legislation that could potentially be meshed into the House version HEROS ACT - House that passed the House in May. This is significant progress as the legislative clock is ticking and the economic health and wellbeing of individuals, employees, non-profit businesses, state and local governments, schools — our country lay at the hands of our legislative leaders in our Nation’s Capitol.
Meanwhile up in our State Capitol, the Democratic controlled legislature is working on its own state coronavirus stimulus plan in case the Congress doesn’t react: Democratic state lawmakers debuted a new proposal for a $100 billion stimulus plan Monday evening, aimed at relieving economic pain caused by the pandemic.
New support for small businesses and protections for workers make up a substantial portion of the the plan.
An outline for the proposal states that it would bring in “new revenues without raising taxes.” The plan proposes a combination of a new tax voucher program, borrowing from the federal government and accelerating existing funds to raise a total of $100 billion for economic relief.
It is a What’s In It for Them (WIIFT) moment. I hope and trust they are listening.