CC SR 20210907 J - Youth Sports
RANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 09/07/2021
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Consent Calendar
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration and possible action to send a letter to the Los Angeles County Board of
Supervisors and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on the Health
Officer Order on Youth Sports.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Authorize the Mayor to sign a letter to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and
the Department of Public Health regarding the amended Health Officer Order on
Youth Sports.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Jesse Villalpando, Senior Administrative Analyst
REVIEWED BY: Karina Bañales, Deputy City Manager
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Draft letter to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and the Department of
Public Health on the amended Health Officer Order on Youth Sports (Page
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BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
On August 23, 2021, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH)
published an updated Health Officer Order implementing updated infection control
protocols for youth sports leagues in the county, among other COVID-19 prevention
provisions. The DPH's revised guidance provided direction on outdoor and indoor youth
recreational sports activities to promote a safe environment for these activities and is
applicable to all organized youth sports and recreation programs — including those
sponsored by schools and communities, as well as privately organized clubs and leagues.
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CITYOF RANCHO PALOS VERDES
Notably among the revised guidelines for outdoor and indoor youth sport activities was
the requirement for all participants, coaches, and volunteers in youth sports programs to
bring and wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status. Additionally, the
guidance published by the DPH on August 23, 2021, would have required nearly all
athletes and staff participating in moderate -or high-risk sports in Los Angeles County to
undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, and included a requirement for testing to be performed
within 48 hours of any inter-team competition and results made available prior to the start
of the competition. Moderate or high-risk sports include football, basketball, baseball,
cheerleading, tennis and soccer, among others.
While COVID-19 remains a significant risk to communities and requires all individuals to
take recommended precautions, these weekly and 48-hour testing requirements posed a
burdensome challenge for local youth sports organizations, which discontinued or
suspended their fall season programming. The Palos Verdes American Youth Soccer
Organization (AYSO) postponed its fall season citing the logistical and financial burden
of testing 1,500 children and more than 300 staff members.
The City communicated these organizations' reservations about these onerous
restrictions to Supervisor Hahn and requested that new guidance addressing these
concerns be considered and published expeditiously. In response to these concerns, the
office of Supervisor Hahn requested that the DPH conduct a review of the sports testing
protocol, with an emphasis on outdoor sports and vaccine-eligible children.
Following this review, the DPH amended the Health Officer Order on Monday, August 30,
2021, with an effective date of Wednesday, September 1, 2021, to update the
requirements for testing vaccinated and unvaccinated youth sports athletes, staff,
coaches, and volunteers. The revised protocols continue to recommend weekly testing
for unvaccinated youth sports participants but do not require testing for children under the
age of 12 who participate in outdoor sports, as this is addressed with school testing.
The following is a brief summary of the specific changes made to the protocols:
• For indoor moderate or high-risk sports, a weekly negative test result is required
for all participants who are not fully vaccinated, including children who are playing
and staff/coaches/volunteers; weekly school testing fulfills this obligation. Testing
two times per week is strongly recommended for unvaccinated participants.
For outdoor moderate or high-risk sports, a weekly negative test result is required
for all participants who are not fully vaccinated, including youth ages 12 and older
who are playing and staff/coaches/volunteers; weekly school testing fulfills this
obligation.
• No screening testing required for children under 12 playing outdoor sports
• Fully vaccinated youth participating in outdoor sports are not required to test
weekly unless there is a positive case among players, coaches and/or staff. If there
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is a positive case, all players, coaches, staff and volunteers (regardless of
vaccination status) are required to have a weekly negative test result for two weeks
from exposure to the case and must test negative prior to competitions.
These requirements are subject to change based on the availability and accessibility of
testing and will be reassessed by the DPH once the risk of community transmission has
decreased. The guidelines for youth sports are available at:
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/docs/protocols/Reopening_YouthSp
orts.pdf
Mayor Alegria has requested that the City send a letter to the Board of Supervisors and
the DPH expressing gratitude for the swift amendment and urging them to continue
expanding testing exemptions for moderate- to high-risk indoor sports and pursuing
vaccination access for youths ages 12 and older as long as COVID-19 hazards exist.
Staff recommends the City Council authorize the Mayor to sign a letter to LA County
Board of Supervisors and DPH officials as drafted or with revisions.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available for
the City Council’s consideration:
1. Identify revised language to add to the letter.
2. Do not authorize the Mayor to sign the letter.
3. Take other action, as deemed appropriate.
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September 7, 2021 Via Email
Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director
L.A. County Department of Public Health
5050 Commerce Drive
Baldwin Park, CA 91706
L.A. County Board of Supervisors
Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
SUBJECT: Support for Amendments to the Health Officer Order on Youth Sports
Dear Supervisors and Dr. Ferrer:
The City of Rancho Palos Verdes writes to you to express its gratitude and appreciation
for your efforts to expedite the issuance of new youth sports protocols, which will enable
all youth sporting organizations to resume play without undue delay and with the
necessary safety protocols in place.
The City applauds the amendments to the August 30, 2021, Health Officer Order updating
testing requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated athletes, staff, coaches, and
volunteers in youth sports and urges you to continue expanding testing exemptions for
indoor moderate- or high-risk sports and to ensure vaccination access for youths ages 12
and older. The pandemic has harmed our children's mental health, and returning to sports
may help alleviate anxiety and depression. Students face enormous stress and pressure,
which has been exacerbated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While we recognize the need for caution when issuing public health guidelines, we believe
that with adequate safety protocols in place, we can further strike a balance between
preventing transmission and allowing our children to participate in sports.
Thank you again for your ongoing efforts to safeguard the rights of all Angelenos. Allowing
all youth sports to resume without putting their organizations under undue logistical and
financial strain and with appropriate safety protocols in place will benefit children's well -
being and mental health as we work toward not just economic recovery, but recovery and
care of the whole person.
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FRIC 1\1 FGRIA. MAYOR
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BARBARA FERRARO. COlJN CILMEMBER
L.A. County Board of Supervisors, and Dr. Ferrer
September 7, 2021
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Sincerely,
Eric Alegria
Mayor
cc: Rancho Palos Verdes City Council
Ara Mihranian, City Manager
Karina Bañales, Deputy City Manager
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