We underestimated Los Angeles County Public Health. Most of that county’s separate protocols, including the Golf Appendix, were retired last night. The sun did come up today sans the Golf Appendix we’ve been pressing LA County to eliminate for some time. That “time” has now come.
Here’s the link to LA County’s updated Health Officer Orders page:
You will see that LACDPH has posted a new, simpler LA County Health Officer Order:
It includes just 4 Appendices that cover Day Camps, Overnight Camps, and Schools (2), which in certain narrow cases involving junior golf programs/classes do affect golf courses.
Though now officially retired, the Golf Appendix is still available for downloading, because LA County Public Health plans to rewrite much of it as a “Best Practices/Guidance” document – a set of recommendations as opposed to mandates as to how best keep patrons and employees safe while COVID enters its coda; at least, we hope it’s entering its coda. That remains to be seen, but all indicators are good on that count.
Los Angeles County joins the rest of the state’s 58 counties in aligning 100% with the state. However, what that means in precise terms is not yet entirely clear. The following three (3) state documents are controlling:
No doubt the state will soon issue more details.
Moreover, all workers (including office workers) will be governed by a separate set of requirements, to be issued by Cal/OSHA. The Cal/OSHA Board will meet this week on June 17 to consider and very likely pass these requirements:
And when Cal/OSHA passes them, Governor Newsom has already announced he will issue an Executive Order implementing them on an emergency basis; otherwise, under California law they couldn’t take effect until June 28.
Are you interested in becoming an advocate for golf in California? The CGCOA is seeking amateur golfers who are passionate about protecting the game of golf and promoting public policies that enable golf to flourish in California. Take the next step to becoming an advocate for golf by completing the attached Golf is Good Ambassador Application.
Read More →FORE - The magazine of the SCGA. Find archived Public Affairs articles on the website of the SCGA's award winning quarterly publication.
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Read More →When introduced by Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) February 16, AB 3192 contained a provision that would have banned the use of all nonorganic pesticides and fertilizers on golf resorts in California’s Coastal Zone.
Read More →A cautionary tale from semi-rural Santa Barbara County to remind you that the pressure to repurpose golf courses is not just a phenomenon in California’s densely packed urban cores.
Read More →The National Golf Course Owners Association’s (NGCOA) Harvey Silverman may have characterized the City of Los Angeles’ uncommonly quick reaction to intense media scrutiny (five separate Los Angeles Times stories including a Sunday lead editorial) of the depredations of tee time brokering with his quip in the organization’s “Golf Business Weekly” about the city having reacted “faster than fixing potholes.”
Read More →Every year there seems to be one bill filed in one house of the California Legislature that keeps the California golf community up at night.
Read More →Here's the difference this last week made, and it’s a difference not just in terms of the alacrity with which we can expect the major municipal golf systems to begin implementing mitigations, but also in terms of what the week means in terms of disabusing all notions of golf somehow being underutilized and golfers not as passionate about the object of their affection as others are about theirs.
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