New Wave of California and Local Stay-at-Home Orders
Our collective unwanted pandemic “house guest” continues to spur government’s unprecedented measures toward the virus’s permanent eviction.
Beginning November 21 and to December 21, the California Department of Public Health imposed a statewide 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew with certain exceptions for essential services, medical emergencies, etc.
Starting tomorrow, Saturday, December 5, and through December 26, a further Regional Stay Home Order will be in place. Any of five regions in California will be subject to the order’s strict standards if and when that region’s total available adult ICU bed capacity falls to less than 15%. The regions are:
- Northern California: Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity
- Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma
- Greater Sacramento: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba
- San Joaquin Valley: Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne
- Southern California: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura
Once triggered, the regional order substantially limits public and commercial activity, for example including cut-backs of indoor retail and shopping center operation to 20% capacity; hotels and lodging open for critical infrastructure support only; restaurant take-out or delivery only; remote office work only except for critical infrastructure; and worship and political expression outdoors only.
We count 22 counties and one city which have rescinded their previous local orders and now follow statewide guidances: • Colusa • Calaveras • Culver City • El Dorado • Fresno • Inyo • Kern • Kings • Lake • Mono • Monterrey • Nevada • Placer • Riverside • San Benito • San Bernardino • San Luis Obispo • Santa Cruz • Solano • Stanislaus • Tehama • Tulare and • Yolo.
As of today, December 4, 2020, we list these counties and cities as continuing with “safer at home” or “shelter in place” ordinances supplemental to and stricter than Sacramento’s statewide directives:
| City or County | Effective Date | Expiration Date | Resources |
| Alameda County | November 18, 2020 | Until further notice | Alameda County’s FAQs |
| Berkeley | November 18, 2020 | Until further notice | City of Berkeley’s website |
| Contra Costa County | November 17, 2020 | Until further notice | Contra Costa County’s FAQs |
| Humboldt County | November 3, 2020 | Until further notice | Humboldt County’s FAQs |
| Imperial County | November 20, 2020 | Until further notice | Imperial County’s FAQs |
| Long Beach | December 2, 2020 | Until further notice | Long Beach’s website |
| Los Angeles City | December 2, 2020 | Until further notice | Los Angeles City’s FAQs |
| Los Angeles County (All unincorporated areas and cities in LA County except for Long Beach and Pasadena) | November 28, 2020 | December 20, 2020 | Los Angeles County’s website |
| Marin County | October 27, 2020 | Until further notice | Marin County’s website |
| Mendocino County | November 17, 2020 | Until further notice | Mendocino County’s FAQs |
| Merced County | August 4, 2020 | Until further notice | Merced County’s website |
| Napa County | July 18, 2020 | Until further notice | Napa County’s FAQs |
| Palm Springs | July 31, 2020 | Until further notice | Palm Springs’s website |
| Pasadena | December 2, 2020 | December 20, 2020 | Pasadena’s website |
| Sacramento County | November 21, 2020 | Until further notice | Sacramento County’s FAQs |
| San Diego County | November 21, 2020 | Until further notice | San Diego County’s FAQs |
| San Francisco City and County | November 29, 2020 | Until further notice | San Francisco’s website |
| San Joaquin County | September 29, 2020 | Until further notice | San Joaquin County’s website |
| Santa Clara County | November 30, 2020 | December 21, 2020 | Santa Clara County’s FAQs |
| San Mateo County | June 17, 2020 | Until further notice | San Mateo County’s FAQs |
| Santa Barbara County | November 26, 2020 | December 25, 2020 | Santa Barbara’s website |
| Sonoma County | September 23, 2020 | Until further notice | Sonoma County’s FAQs |
| Sutter County | October 6, 2020 | Until further notice | Sutter County’s website |
| Ventura County | October 6, 2020 | Until further notice | Ventura County ‘s website |
| Yuba County | October 6, 2020 | Until further notice | Yuba County’s FAQs |
Thanks again to our legal assistant Daniska Coronado for these continuing updates. Please use the above links and other online resources for further developments. Requirements of varying strictness continue to change frequently, municipality-by-municipality.
See also,
- New Year’s Resolutions: Start Now – Secure Employee Handbook, Forms & Policies With 2021 Updates (October 2, 2020)
- Fourth and Long – California’s Employer Playbook For a Safe Reopening (July 31, 2020)
- Cabin Fever in a Pandemic – California’s Updated Coronavirus Response (July 11, 2020)
For further information, please or contact Tim Bowles, Cindy Bamforth or Helena Kobrin.
Timothy Bowles
Daniska Coronado
December 4, 2020