Thread by @shayshinecastle

We're going to talk a little bit about COVID enforcement, as requested by council members Friend and Wallach.

Presentation: www-static.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/Item_1B_-…

What we've really learned, says interim city manager Chris Meschuk, is it takes a "systems approach" to change the behavior of the community. "We can't simply enforce our way through the pandemic."

Engagement Manager Sarah Huntley going over the city's outreach efforts so far. Education/engagement is NOT enforcement, she says, but it's "foundational" to what the city is doing.

Did not know this, but there's a COVID-specific email address you can use for questions: [e-mail]

City using a form of cultural brokers they call "Emergency Response Connectors" 25 ppl who are connected with their respective communities; they serve as informal go-betweens for the community and the city

I've done lots of reporting on cultural brokers — the county is using them quite successfully — but not a lot of writing. Someday, I will write a story. Someday.

These "connectors" are being paid stipends by the city for their COVID work. 10 are bilingual/bicultural

New efforts from the city:
Three radio ads in English and Spanish playing on Spotify and Spanish radio stations

Printed banners for public spaces, pending permission related to the city’s sign codes

(That last bit makes me chuckle a bit)

Oh, and a podcast and some videos are coming soon, too.

Boulder has been holding city briefings on COVID each week, but they're going to start shifting people to the county's briefings.

Huntley: You have your bubble that you socialize with, but each of the ppl in that bubble has their own bubble, and THEY each have their own bubble. So the takeaway is you really shouldn't be gathering right now.

Yvette Bowden, head of community vitality, talking about downtown/Uni Hill signage, etc.

There's a banner over Broadway. And "safety-related murals" (!)

Sandra Llanes with the city attorney's office is going over the city's enforcement efforts. More than 100 tickets have been issued for violating public health orders.

Complaints are outpacing actual violations because multiple people are calling about the same issue, or the complaint is unfounded, Llanes says.

"If the officer does not personally observe a violation, he is unable to issue a ticket," she says. "We cannot enforce our way to compliance."

Education and encouragign "voluntary compliance" is still the most effective tool.

Llanes going over student-specific enforcement. "Very few repeat offenders," she says. "We take these cases very seriously." No plea deals — they have to plead guilty or go to trial.

Still talking CU enforcement. Sorry I'm not tweeting more. It's very, um, detailed presentation.

Llanes? More like Yawn-es, amiright?

That's not fair. You're doing great, Sandra!

Llanes: Four properties in the city have been ID's as a "public nuisance" and a serious risk to the community for spreading disease. 26 add'l properties "at risk" of being designated as such.

Biz violations: Llanes doesn't say how many have received complaints, only that they have all voluntarily complied once the city contacted them.

The city as a whole has received 1,300+ complaints related to violation of public health orders.

Only 1 biz has drawn legal action from the county public health dept.

I believe that was Magic Fairy Candle in Longmont, which SUCKED bc I loved that place. timescall.com/2020/08/28/bou…

Seeking a replacement if you've got any recommendations.

Wallach: Will we be keeping the Stazio testing site open beyond the end of the year?
Huntley: That's related to federal CARES funding.

Meschuk: The state pays for the tests themselves. Each one costs about $100. The city is paying for storage boxes, the traffic cones, etc. to support testing.

Wallach: When we issue a stay-at-home order for a specific property, what's our enforcement? The honor system?

Llanes: To a degree, yes. We do check on those properties "but there's also a level of personal responsibility. ... We've heard from ppl who are under stay-at-home that they know people are watching," so I think they're less likely to violate it.

Friend: How many tickets have been issued to non-students?
Llanes: Idk exactly, "but I would say very few. We've only focused on the egregious cases and the majority have been college (age) 18-22."

Friend: I asked to learn what other cities were doing RE: enforcement. Did we get that info?

No, Llanes says.

We are paying attention to other university towns and working with them, Llanes says.

That's it for this discussion. @threadreaderapp please unroll. Thank you!