ANR Update

UC ANR COVID-19 Update: Remote work extension

Dear colleagues,                                                        

I hope you are doing well and are safe and healthy. Please continue to prioritize your health and well-being and that of your family and friends, and let those of us in the Emergency Response Team know if there is additional support that you may need.

As we continue to navigate the complexity of working in the COVID-19 environment, your well-being is our highest priority. We have developed some important resources and tools available on our website for COVID-19: Telecommuting Resources and a variety of wellness classes and workshops. The Academic and Staff Assistance Program (ASAP) is available if you need confidential resources during these difficult times. If you have questions regarding your individual or unit circumstances, please discuss with your supervisor for further assistance.

In light of the worsening condition of the infection rate, the decreasing ICU availability statewide, and our commitment to keeping you safe, we have decided that UC ANR will extend its current remote work and limited on-site operation status through June 30, 2021.

This will allow us to get through the winter and spring when we expect flu and COVID-19 cases to be at their highest, and to once again do our part in the effort to flatten the curve. As I am sure you are aware, other campuses and UC organizations are taking similar measures. The Emergency Response Team will continue to evaluate and update you on the situation as it evolves.

I realize that this decision will have different impacts on our complex and widely dispersed operations, and in some cases will require that we make adjustments to adapt and comply with local conditions and ordinances, but this decision will be in place and applicable division wide.

Thank you again for your continued dedication, good work and partnership.

Sincerely,

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President

 

 

State implements regional stay at home order

Because of your due diligence in maintaining safe practices, UC ANR COVID-19 infection rates remain below community rates. Many are weary from the additional effort required to keep loved ones and colleagues safe, and our work is not done. By working together, we can continue to protect those around us, and ourselves. Let's focus on getting through this last push before everyone has had the opportunity for vaccination.

Last week, the Governor and State Public Health Director issued a new Regional Stay At Home Order, requiring additional restrictions and limitations on public activity for portions of the state that are experiencing an impact to hospital ICU capacity. The order mandates that certain businesses may no longer serve customers, restricts the capacity of all retail establishments, and prohibits gatherings with people outside of your household. Over the weekend, two regions – Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley – passed the threshold of reduced ICU capacity that activated the Regional Order. Additionally, five Bay Area Counties issued local health orders that essentially adopted the requirements of the Regional Order immediately. Other counties have issued similar orders or increased stay-at-home restrictions, in advance of being required to do so by the state order.

What does this new order mean for UC ANR? First, stay informed about what is happening in your region and in your county concerning COVID-19 and public health orders. When your location is subject to the Regional Order, or similar local orders, the following adjustments must be made:

1. Research activities and agricultural operations may continue (with existing protective safety protocols), as these are considered critical infrastructure. If you are exploring engaging in new research projects, adopt strict safety standards and be prepared to scale back or cease if further orders may require. If you have questions about what work activities are critical, consult your director or manager.

2. Work remotely as much as possible. Reassess any in-office work; employees should only be coming to the office in the following limited cases:

• Essential business functions needed to support remote work.
• Situations where an employee cannot perform their duties or work effectively remotely.
• Short duration visits to pick up or drop off materials needed for work.

3. Any non-mandatory or non-critical in-person gatherings, meetings, or activities that bring together members of different households must be suspended. This means that 4-H meetings, Master Gardener activities, Master Food Preservers events, or other volunteer programs or workshops may only continue remotely/online.

This is a critical time in the fight against COVID-19. These additional restrictions are needed to “bend the curve” yet again, to bring down the rate of infection in the community and reduce the strain on our healthcare system.

Throughout the summer and early fall, UC ANR has had a very low rate of COVID-19 infections among our employees. However, as the rate of COVID-19 cases is currently surging statewide, UC ANR is also seeing an increase in cases among our employees, similar to the communities where we are located. Please continue your diligence to stay safe at home and at work to keep UC ANR working to serve our clientele.

Brian Oatman 
Director, Risk & Safety Services

2020 GivingTuesday donations break records

Dear Colleagues,

I am thrilled to report that we raised over $196,000 for UC ANR programs on GivingTuesday this year – a 49% increase over the $130K raised during GivingTuesday last year!  Given the widespread opinion that giving was likely to be down this year, this result is both inspiring and an affirmation of the support that our programs enjoy.  

The 2020 GivingTuesday total breaks records for our previous giving-day campaigns. UC ANR received 854 gifts from 736 donors this year; in 2019, 494 donors gave 580 gifts. Many thanks to all of you who worked to get the word out and gave your time and money to make the campaign so successful. My goal for next year is to see a much larger percentage of our UC ANR colleagues participating in this, and other funds development activities. It is increasingly clear that our constituents want to support our work, we simply need to ask for their support and make it easy for them to do so.

Talk about making it easier: The Development Team did an exceptionally awesome job this past few months. The donation platform we used last year for GivingTuesday expired on Nov. 30 so the team had to find a new platform and quickly rebuild the site so it would be ready to accept donations on Dec. 1. They pulled off this Herculean task with flying colors!

I want to thank Emily Delk, director of annual giving and donor stewardship, for organizing the campaign and creating the materials to publicize it. She designed the #PushPlayCA theme to demonstrate how UC ANR programs have had to pivot and find new ways to move forward while many activities are paused to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

More details and stats for individual counties and programs will be available in the days ahead.

The resounding success of GivingTuesday shows that more and more people are beginning to recognize and appreciate the amazing work you do to make life better for Californians.

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

Wishing you a safe and restful Thanksgiving

As we take some time to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to wish you all the best and urge you to follow these recommendations from UC Davis Health to keep yourselves and your friends and families safe in the coming weeks. We've done a great job taking precautions and protecting each other since March; let's keep it up for the next several months until we can get past this.

While we look to Thanksgiving as a time to express gratitude and enjoy family, we need to also take stock of those around us that may need some extra empathy or support. People have lost loved ones, some have lost jobs, and many are fearful of what the future may hold. We also should recognize that those among us with Native heritage may take a different view of Thanksgiving. This is a great time to be kind to each other.

Despite the obstacles 2020 has thrown in our paths, I find myself thankful for many things. In my personal life, I'm very thankful for the many family and friends who love me and enrich my life. Intellectually, I'm thankful that a recent Pew Research study found that 82% of U.S. adults still say government investments in scientific research are worthwhile. Professionally, I love being part of all the amazing work that ANR has accomplished these past several months; I am so proud and thankful to work with colleagues of your caliber.

This week UC President Michael Drake announced plans that will help the UC system confront COVID-19–related financial challenges while protecting jobs. We are grateful that the President gave the leadership at UC ANR and at each UC campus the discretion to determine the appropriate strategy to address our specific budget needs. I'm pleased to report that, due to the proactive cost savings programs we already put in place, including our three-day winter curtailment, UC ANR is on track to achieve $4 million in savings which, for the remainder of this fiscal year, will allow us to avoid additional actions. I'm very thankful for the vision and work of our financial team that enabled this, as well as your support to implement it.

It's been a very difficult year in many ways, and this holiday season will be unlike any other due to the increased risk of COVID-19, as well as the ongoing civil unrest throughout much of the country. I know many of you are caregivers for your families, which can be a heavy burden, or shoulder other responsibilities. It's important to remember to take care of yourselves. You should feel free to use your UC ANR Zoom account to connect with family and friends during this holiday. Mostly though, try to rest and allow yourself time to rejuvenate.

Best wishes and happy Thanksgiving, 

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

 

Surge in COVID-19 Cases Results in Changes to County Risk Tiers and Statewide Limited Curfew

Earlier this week, the Governor and Secretary of Public Health announced urgent changes to the state's county risk tiers. This was in response to a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases - doubling in the past 10 days to more than 10,000 per day - and 60% increase in hospitalizations across the state. In all, 40 counties have been moved to more restrictive tiers, with 30 counties moving back one tier and 10 counties moving back two tiers. These risk tier assignments affect what businesses may remain open or what activities can occur in the county, which can also affect UC ANR operations and programming.

The current tier ratings include 41 counties in the most restrictive Widespread (purple) tier, 11 counties in the Substantial (red) tier, 4 counties in the Moderate (orange) tier, and 2 counties in the Minimal (yellow) tier. This is obviously a major setback in the state's phased reopening, and will result in many UC ANR locations needing to restrict their in-office work and in-person activities in the community. Since our latest modifications to ANR's safety standards were based on the county risk tiers, we do not need to update our statewide guidance at this time, but with 70% of counties in the purple tier, most locations will need to modify their in-person activities.

For Counties that are in Tier 1 (Purple), indoor meetings, classes, workshops, etc. are prohibited. These activities may be carried on via Zoom or outdoors with groups of 10 or fewer. When a location is in Tier 1, supervisors should restrict in-office work as much as feasible. For example, employees should only come to the office for critical work activities, such as:

• Previously approved research and extension activities (such as research, animal care, agricultural operations, critical maintenance, etc.) that were approved during Stage 1.
• Essential business functions needed to support remote work.
• Situations where an employee cannot perform his/her duties or work effectively remotely.
• Short duration visits to pick up or drop off materials needed for work.

In addition to limiting capacity of in-person work activities, please continue to follow ANR's other basic safety protocols, including health screening, physical distancing, use of face coverings, and hygiene/sanitary practices. As always, some counties may have more restrictive health standards and our locations and programs must follow County health orders when they are more restrictive.

The website https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/ provides an interactive map to find the current status for each county and additional details. ANR locations whose status is unchanged or are in less restrictive tiers should continue to apply the guidance applicable to their county risk tier. However, because the situation is rapidly changing, please maintain awareness of the risk rating for your location and modify activities when necessary.

Additionally, on Thursday, the state Department of Public Health announced a Limited Stay At Home Order or “Curfew.” This order requires people to stay home and not gather with others between the hours of 10pm and 5am. There are exceptions for essential activities and critical infrastructure. During the announcement of this curfew order, it was stated that, “People may go and come from work with no difficulty.” It is understood that some ANR locations may engage in late night or early morning harvest or other agricultural work – these activities are considered critical infrastructure under the category of Food and Agriculture. To alleviate any concerns that employees may have about being out during the curfew hours to come to work, we are providing County and REC Directors with a template letter that can be used to identify UC ANR employees as essential workers under the terms of this Public Health Order.

If you have questions about what work activities are allowed or safety procedures for your work location, please consult with your supervisor or unit Director and refer to the safety plan for your location. You can also review UC ANR's COVID-19 webpage http://ucanr.edu/covid19 and webpage for standards for resuming in-person activity http://ucanr.edu/resume.

Celebration Corner 
Six scientists affiliated with UC ANR have received grants from the California Bureau of Cannabis Control: Justin Brashares, Van Butsic, Christy Getz, Ted Grantham, Jennifer Sowerwine, and Daniel Sumner. Learn more about their research projects here. Congratulations to all!

West Side farmer John Diener partnered with West Side REC to grow over 70,000 pounds of butternut squash and donate them to the Central California Food Bank, which provides food to more than 280,000 people each month.

UC ANR hosted its first virtual tour for state legislators and their staff members this morning. UC ANR presenters and guest speakers shared engaging images, videos, information and testimonials about our work. Participants were mailed “learning boxes” with hands-on items to add to the tour experience, from a shot hole borer identification kit to almonds to moringa powder and more. Additional tours are planned for the UC Regents and President Drake in December, and the tour will be made available to all of UC ANR shortly thereafter. Thank you to all the presenters and to Kathy Eftekhari, Anne Megaro and the IGIS and NOS teams for all your hard work on this successful project!

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President

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