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B. DISCUSSION ITEM
1. Coronavirus (COVID-19) update
SUBMISSION FROM: Hayley Mattson
From: Hayley Mattson | 13 Stars Media <hayley@13starsmedia.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2020 4:11 PM
To: City Clerk <cityclerk@atascadero.org>
Cc: Heather Moreno <hmoreno@atascadero.org>
Subject: Public Comment: Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Meeting 12/15
Importance: High
Good afternoon,
I would like to submit the following for public comment for tonight’s meeting, it is also
attached.
Thank you for your time and service.
City of Atascadero Special Meeting, Dec. 15
Action Item 1. Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant
From: Hayley Mattson
Atascadero Home Owner, Local Business Owner and Mom
Dear Atascadero City Council,
Tonight, you have called a special meeting to discuss “Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant” due to
the recent “Stay-at-Home” orders that Gov. Newsom put into place on Dec. 5.
I am an Atascadero resident, active within the community, and local business owner with my husband.
We publish several publications that cover Central California. As with most, our company took an
enormous hit this year, and we had only just started to slowly recover when this second stay-at-home
order was put into place.
We employ an outstanding team of professionals that depend on us to maintain financial stability, and as
with most small businesses, that is who you are supporting. Each one of them makes a difference to the
whole. Counting on the government to assist with that is not financially responsible as a business owner.
I have seen each of you talk about your love and support for small business. I ask that you show that in
your actions today. I request that the City of Atascadero take the approach that Paso Robles City Council
did in a courageous 5-0 vote last week in moving back to the Purple Tier, along with writing a letter to the
Governor on our behalf.
We are responsible adults, and we live in a community that cares for one another. We need to stop the
hateful rhetoric that people are “super spreaders” or that they intentionally “let the virus to use them as
a weapon that kills” this is truly an insult to the core of being a good human.
I believe we can all agree on the following: wear a mask if you cannot socially distance, wash your hands,
and then wash them again. If you feel ill, stay home, do not go around others, and if you think you were
exposed, quarantine.
The one thing that is lacking on a large scale is personal responsibility for one’s self. I spent most of my
career in healthcare, and nearly every year at this time, our hospitals were over capacity for most of the
flu season. Interesting enough, the flu is not very relevant this year; however, I would strongly urge
anyone to look into the numbers of years past. You will find thousands of families that lost their loved
ones to the flu, including a large number of children that our country did not mourn for, nor did we close
anything down for. Any physician will tell you that the flu shot is a guess of which strain may hit us this
year, not a guarantee you won’t get it.
COVID-19 is a real threat; there is no question about that. However, with self-responsibility and now the
vaccine, we will get through this. But if we keep our small businesses, restaurants, health clubs, beauty
salons, wineries, personal care, and others handcuffed by a revolving door of restrictions, they will not
continue, which in turn directly impacts Atascadero and the larger economy.
We want our community to be “safely open.” If you are afraid, ill, immune-compromised, etc., please stay
home so we can have businesses here for when you feel safe.
I commend Mayor Moreno for taking the initial stand and sending a letter to our County Supervisors; I
hope you all will join her and take a stand for the businesses that support all of you.
Please be courageous and supportive; vote to allow us to go back to the purple tier. If we encourage
personal responsibility for ourselves, we can truly start to recover.
Stronger together,
Hayley
Hayley E. Mattson
Co-Founder & Publisher | 13 Stars Media
Editor-In-Chief
Direct (805)703.3164
Office (805)466.2585