Dear Sausalito,
As we approach the end of week 11 of shelter in place, I am reaching out to check in on everyone as we gradually start to ramp up permitted activities, get some businesses back up and running, and continue to keep a careful watch on the key public indicators of COVID-19.
First, let me thank everyone in town — our residents, school kids, parents, seniors, business owners, workers, City employees, and front line police, firefighters, and health care workers — for their patience, courage, perseverance, and diligence during shelter in place. Together, we have had amazing success in flattening the curve to make sure our health facilities were not overrun.
Not only did people comply with the letter of the shelter-in-place orders, but as a community, we have seen outstanding compassion, outreach, kindness, innovation, and support for one another. There have been hearts in our windows, bags of love at our 94965 schools, and contributions to our local businesses through the purchase of gift cards, donations, and eating locally. There have been notes to postal workers on our mailboxes, food deliveries to our seniors and vulnerable residents, and masks, face shields, and hand sanitizer being produced right here in Sausalito. We should all be proud of how our community has adapted to meet this emergency and cared for each other to truly get through this together.
Now, as we gradually emerge and reopen our economy, we will have a whole new series of challenges. I hope everyone can take a collective deep breath as we move into this next phase. This is a controversial and emotional time with a lot of (sometimes strong) opinions on all sides of the debate about how and when to reopen, whether and when to wear face coverings, and how to balance the risks of COVID-19 with the need to alleviate the dramatic rise in unemployment, economic pain, and social isolation. It is a nationwide debate, but also intensely local.
In the coming weeks, and as explained in more detail in the next article in this edition of Currents, we will see the number of allowed activities and businesses gradually expand from those existing today, such as take-out food and curbside retail, to outdoor dining, outdoor retail, summer and sports camps (special hurray from us parents!), offices, and others.
As a City, we are working hard to support our residents and businesses during this time of rapid change. We will be having discussions about innovative (and fun) ways to continue to find the right balance between protecting the public health and finding a path to economic and social recovery.
At the same time, we are having difficult discussions about our budget and the drop in revenue we will face due to COVID-19. The City Council is working hard to make sure we can get to a budget that, while realistic and prudent, minimizes the impact to our services and staff, keeps our key infrastructure maintained and intact, and leaves us poised to undertake future projects as our recovery allows.
I look forward to working with all of you so that we can come together as a community to have these important discussions in a positive, constructive way. I am confident Sausalito will move forward with thoughtful, measured steps to recover from the pandemic with even stronger social connections, an even more resilient and vibrant economy, and the knowledge that we worked together not only to get through it, but to become an even better, stronger community.
– Mayor Susan Cleveland-Knowles
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