The City of Blythe has been working with Assemblyman Garcia and State Senator Melissa Melendez to get an exemption to the Riverside County restrictions. Senator Melendez sent this letter to Governor Newsom on our behalf. Governor Newsom, small rural towns have been social distancing for over 100 years.
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SENATOR
MELISSA A. MELENDEZ
TWENTY-EIGHTH SENATE DISTRICT

Honorable Gavin Newsom,
Governor State Capitol,
First Floor Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: RE-OPENING GUIDANCE REVISION FOR SMALL COMMUNITIES

Dear Governor Newsom:

I am writing to respectfully request that you revise the new reopening guidelines to help small communities survive in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While some counties in California may be able to operate under these "one-size-fits-all" approaches, Riverside County is not one of them. Riverside County's blend of both urban and rural communities makes meeting these strict guidelines quite the challenge. Small communities, such as Anza, Blythe and Idyllwild, with populations less than 20,000, are struggling to play by these rules meant for more urban and larger metropolitan cities.

The town of Blythe, CA, with a population under 20,000 and a median household income under $47,000/year, for example, is the only major town along Interstate 10 between Phoenix, AZ and the Coachella Valley. Its closest neighbor is actually located in Arizona and its closest California neighbor in Riverside County is 100 miles away. With Arizona relaxing many of its restrictions, California (and Riverside County specifically) has not been able to follow suit and, if not permitted to open, its already fragile economy will wither away.

The town of Anza, with just under 4,000 residents and a median household income of under
$40,000/year, is not hindered as much by distance from population centers as it is by geography. Located on the outskirts of Mt. San Jacinto State Park, this small rural community is isolated from other communities and still required to follow the mandates meant for larger urban areas. At about half the distance, it takes almost the same amount of time to travel from Coachella to Blythe as it does from Coachella to Anza.

For these unique circumstances impacting Riverside County and its small rural communities, I'm strongly urging you to please revise the guidance. Doing so will allow these small isolated communities, like the ones I have highlighted from my district, to re-open regardless of where the County as a whole ranks in meeting the specified metrics. Absent any action these local towns and cities will not be able to survive, will turn into ghost towns and lost for future generations.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent request. Respectfully,

MELISSA A. MELENDEZ
California State Senate, District 28