Last Updated 1/1/2021
The City of Mountain View’s Neighborhood and Housing Division is hosting webinars that will review the NEW STATEWIDE EVICTION MORATORIUM (Tenant, Homeowner, and Small Landlord Relief Act - AB 3088).
AB 3088’s Tenant Relief Act creates eviction protections for tenants experiencing COVID-19 financial hardship effective immediately. This new State law supersedes the City of Mountain View's residential eviction moratorium. Tenants are protected by, and tenants and landlords must follow, the State’s requirements and not the City’s, including the eviction moratorium extension just approved by Council on August 25, 2020. and suspends all residential rental evictions for non-payment of rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To register in advance for the eviction moratorium webinar please visit: mountainview.gov/emwebinars
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
To sign up to receive email updates regarding the eviction moratorium or the City’s rent stabilization program, email [email protected]. This is the best way to learn about upcoming webinars and informational sessions for tenants and rental property owners.
If you need help, or for more information regarding the eviction moratorium, call the Mountain View Rental Housing Helpline at (650) 282-2514 or email [email protected].
Updates regarding the eviction moratorium are posted on the City’s website frequently, and the changes approved by the Council will be added soon.
The Law Foundation has some great FAQ’ on the Statewide COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium.
English FAQ | Spanish FAQ | Vietnamese FAQ
If any low-income tenants receive an eviction notice or have questions about their rights, they can call the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley's Housing Program at 408-280-2424 or fill out thier online intake form.
More renter resources
On March 17, the Public Health department of Santa Clara County madated a Shelter-in-Place order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of the past few months, this order has been adapting to new information.
View the current shelter in place orders
For the latest update from the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department, go to: www.sccphd.org/coronavirus.
For local emergencies, click the following link to sign up for text messages: sccgov.org/sites/oes/alertscc/Pages/home.aspx. The alerts do not provide as much information as can be found generally on the Public Health website, or as much information as is provided on our COVID-19 response FAQ: www.sccphd.org/CV19.
If you have additional questions or concerns, please call 2-1-1, then press 4 for “community services”.
Follow on social media:
County of Santa Clara Public Health Department Facebook: facebook.com/sccpublichealth
County of Santa Clara Public Health Department Twitter: twitter.com/HealthySCC
More data can be found through the Public Health Department’s Data Dashboards.
The City of Mountain View continues to respond rapidly and aggressively to the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate the economic impacts on residents and businesses. The City provides a helpful email with updates called The Briefing. Please sign up by texting ‘MVCOVID’ to 22828.
Latest Issue: December 18 - Volume 63
Follow the City of Mountain View for more up to date information relating to COVID-19.
COVID-19 Website - Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube
Caltrain Updates
Caltrain to Implement Additional Weekday Service Reductions
Due to significant reductions in ridership resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Caltrain will further reduce weekday train service indefinitely starting Monday, March 30.
The modified weekday schedule will operate 42 trains per day, rather than the usual 92. Trains will make all local weekday stops between San Jose and San Francisco every 30-60 minutes, depending on time of day. Caltrain will continue operating two Gilroy service trains during the morning and afternoon peak commute. Limited and Baby Bullet service will be suspended until further notice.
The updated weekday schedule will be available at www.caltrain.com.
Weekend service will continue to operate normally.
These additional schedule reductions are necessary to mitigate severe fare revenue losses while still providing essential transit services to all stations along Caltrain’s corridor. Caltrain is monitoring ridership during this time and may implement additional service changes as needed while ensuring that riders can maintain social distancing in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations. Caltrain continues to maintain daily onboard cleaning and sanitation protocols in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines.
Caltrain is assessing the impact that reduced ridership is having on the agency’s ability to maintain operations in the coming months. One-way and Day Pass ticket sales have declined by approximately 86% from levels prior to the current health crisis. On the first day of the Bay Area-wide Public Health Order, Caltrain recorded a 95% decrease in average daily ticket sales. With no other dedicated source of funding, Caltrain relies on fares to cover 70% of the system’s operating costs.
Due to severe ridership declines as a result of the public health order, transit agencies, like Caltrain, are now experiencing serious financial challenges. Federal legislation has been approved that could provide transit agencies throughout the country with funding to maintain operations. Caltrain is working with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to determine how those funds will be allocated throughout the Bay Area.
For more information about Caltrain schedules and fares or for help planning your trip, call Caltrain Customer Service at 1.800.660.4287 (TTY 650.508.6448) or visit www.caltrain.com.
VTA Updates
Update for the week of March 21, 2020
Effective March 26, VTA will be suspending Light Rail Service.
VTA will suspend school trip service. This will take effect on Monday, March 16.
To receive real-time service alerts, you can subscribe to your routes in the Transit app.
We will continue to analyze ridership data to identify trends and will be making decisions on whether a change in the level of service is warranted and to what degree. This will be a large area of focus for VTA going forward to ensure we are responding appropriately to match our resources with the most effective level of service.
VTA continues to monitor the situation closely and maintains regular contact with local authorities and other transit agencies. For more on what VTA is doing in response to COVID-19, please visit https://www.vta.org/covid-19.
The Mountain View Community Shuttle is still running during the "Shelter-in-Place." View Schedule.
For rental assistance, please call 650.968.0836 and leave a voicemail or email [email protected]. Please state your name and number and indicate that you need rental assistance. A Community Services Agency (CSA), staff member will return your call within 72 business hours.
A CSA staff member will conduct a telephone screening to determine your eligibility and how to best financially assist you.
Rental Assistance Program through City of Mountain View Grant
If the caller meets all City of Mountain View requirements, they can pick up a rental assistance packet outside of CSA, 204 Stierlin Rd. Mountain View, CA 94043. M-F during business hours, 9:00a-4:00p. The individual must submit all paperwork via email/text to the assigned CSA staff member, so their rental assistance request can be processed through CSA.
Please call CSA at 650.968.0836 or email [email protected] for a rental screening. CSA may be able to provide financial assistance through other funding sources.
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved a temporary COVID-19 Temporary Moratorium on Evictions, on Tuesday, 03.24.2020 until 05.31.2020. If you need a legal referral for tenants and/or have any additional questions or concerns about rental assistance, please call Eonis Cibrian Pelayo, Community and Public Relations Coordinator, at 650.669.9551 or email [email protected].
They are experiencing a high volume of calls and emails. Please be patient with CSA staff, they will get back to you.
View flyer in English or Spanish.
View FAQs in English or Spanish
CSA will be making other temporary changes to their programs. View changes in English or Spanish.
For more information: (650) 968-0836.
The City of Mountain View's utility relief program is now online. The income limits for applying are shown below. If you need help with your utility bill, please fill out the application and attach a copy of your most recent utility bill as soon as you can.
Utility Bill Assistance Program Application: https://www.mountainview.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=32256
These funds are based on first come, first serve up to 2,000 applicants.
You may mail the completed application to City Hall (P.O. Box 7540, Mountain View CA, 94041). You can also drop the application off at the drop box located in the front of City Hall - facing the courtyard. City staff check this drop box Monday through Friday, every morning at 8am. Each qualified applicant will receive a $50 credit towards their next utility statement. If you have any questions contact: [email protected] or call 650-903-6317
One-stop resource for the people of California impacted by job loss during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Losing your job amidst a pandemic is traumatic. OnwardCA is a resource that has been rapidly deployed by a broad coalition of companies, foundations, and humans who want to help. Help you get money or groceries or child care; help you upskill, reskill, or refresh; and help you land a great new job. View more information.
California Employment Development Department
Partial Claims
Partial claims are for employees whose employers want to keep them when there is a lack of work.
Source: California Labor and Workforce Development Agency
If you have any questions or doubts, please call the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) at 1-866-870-7725. The advice line is available in 5 different languages: English, Spanish, Tagalog, Mandarin, and Vietnamese.
Información de los derechos del trabajador en respeto al COVID-19, si tiene alguna pregunta o duda por favor póngase en contacto con la Oficina de Derechos del Trabajador (OLSE en ingles) al 1-866-870-7725. La linea de consejo tiene 5 Idiomas diferentes en; español, ingles, tagalog, mandarin, y vietnamita.
Last year, the Santa Clara County Office of Labor Standards Enforcement and Working Partnerships USA created the Fair Workplace Collaborative — a group of community organizations, legal advocates, nonprofits, and small business leaders — to be on-the-ground trusted messengers providing education and outreach to workers and small businesses.
As thousands of workers lose their jobs or face significant cuts to their hours because of COVID-19, people are trying to figure out how they will pay the bills and what resources are available to help navigate this crisis. In the past few weeks, the Fair Workplace Collaborative advice line has received hundreds of calls from individuals asking about unemployment insurance, state disability insurance, paid family leave, and other resources. In response to this crisis, the Fair Workplace Collaborative has launched “Santa Clara County CAN: COVID-19 Assistance Navigation.”
Santa Clara County CAN will help people:
Anyone with questions can call the new Santa Clara County CAN hotline at 408-809-2124. Support is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Mandarin, with more languages to come.
The federal government is allowing people with student loans to skip payments for 60 days without interest or penalties. You need to contact your loan holder to make the arrangements, and the 60-day period may be extended further by the government.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to suspend foreclosures and evictions for at least 60 days due to the COVID-19 national emergency. Earlier this month, FHFA announced that the two government-sponsored companies would provide payment forbearance to borrowers impacted by the Coronavirus. Forbearance allows for a mortgage payment to be suspended for up to 12 months. Borrowers who may be experiencing financial challenges due to COVID-19 are strongly encouraged to contact their mortgage servicer to explore their options.
Click here for some of the financial relief provided by the Governor's executive orders and other state efforts. This includes relief from financial institutions participating in these efforts. Click here for all of the financial institutions that are participating.
Here is a quick resource guide for homeowners/property owners by National Association of Realtors
The California Department of Education has gathered offers from the major Internet Service Providers to provide access to those who do not have access. View list.
Xfinity WiFi Free For Everyone: Xfinity WiFi hotspots across the country will be available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit www.xfinity.com/wifi. Once at a hotspot, consumers should select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots and then launch a browser.
Santa Clara County Office of Education also offers an array of learning resources to help youth learning during the school closures. They have also created their own Warmline Service line that is FREE and available 16 hours per day and has the following language capabilities: Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Korean. Support will be provided by answering questions, addressing concerns and providing social stories to support children’s understanding of ‘social distancing’, etc. Also available will be alternative educational resources, support for flexible learning (media, etc.) and support for addressing individual needs for children with IEPs. Visual Support, individual schedules, etc. are also available. Call (408) 453-6651 or email [email protected].
More resources from cell phone providers
A coalition of community organizations (Serve the People San José, Silicon Valley DSA, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Anakbayan, Rapid Response Network, South Bay Community Land Trust), students, workers, and community members are organizing a mutual aid fund. Ask for help in English or Spanish.
Additional funding is now available through the COVID-19 Financial Assistance Program administered by Sacred Heart Community Service and Destination: Home. Because there is a limited amount of funding available, this round of assistance will focus on serving those in our community who are most in need of assistance.
To qualify for assistance, residents must meet all 5 criteria outlined below:
Eligible households will receive $1,000 for every individual who meets the eligibility criteria up to $2,000 per household. More information and the application can be found here.
The Rengstorff Park restrooms located adjacent to Rengstorff Pool will be opened to serve the needs of unstably housed people nearby. City Parks staff and the City’s regularly contracted janitorial service (SWA) will provide servicing of these restrooms. These restrooms will be available during park hours as they were prior to closure.
The two portable restrooms and hand washing stations at this location will continue to be available and cleaned on a daily basis. Park restrooms throughout the City have been closed in an effort to "flatten the curve" and encourage the public to follow the shelter in place order. For that reason, other public restrooms will continue to remain locked.
Change in Shelter Placement Hotline Hours
Due to a decrease in demand, County of Santa Clara, California's COVID-19 shelter placement hotline for homeless individuals has moved to a Monday-Friday schedule, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The hotline will no longer be staffed on weekends and County-observed holidays. This change is due to a significant drop in weekend calls, and to allocate staffing resources on weekdays to emphasize placing people into soon-to-open permanent housing sites.
On weekends and holidays, callers can leave a detailed message and staff will return the call during the next business day. Shelter placements for homeless individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 will still be performed on weekends. Those calls will be transferred to the County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) staff to coordinate placements.
The shelter placement hotline can be reached by calling (408) 278-6420. On weekends, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) placement staff can be reached by calling (408) 808-7770. Weekend hours at the EOC are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Urgent Update on Shower Services for Residents in Need:
Due to continued corona virus concerns, we regret to inform you that the showers at located at Trinity United Methodist Church (TUMC) are now temporarily closed through June 30, 2020. Hope’s Corner will work to resume the showers as soon as they possibly can.
The County and City are adding increased mobile showers from Dignity on Wheels (DOW) provided by Project We Hope – now available Tuesday 1:00-5:00 p.m. and Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Located at CSA.
Actualización Urgente sobre las Duchas para Residentes Necesitados:
Debido a la continua preocupación por el virus corona, lamentamos informarles que las duchas localizadas en la iglesia Trinity United Methodist Church (TUMC) están cerradas temporalmente hasta el 30 de junio de 2020. Hope's Corner trabajará para reanudar las duchas tan pronto como sea posible.
El Condado y la Ciudad están agregando más duchas móviles de Dignity on Wheels (DOW) proporcionadas por el Proyecto We Hope - ahora disponible los martes de 1:00 a 5:00 p.m. y los jueves de 9:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m. Ubicado en CSA.
State Resources Website for Immigrants
The State of California will provide one-time disaster relief assistance to adult undocumented immigrants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Catholic Charities agencies in the Bay Area have switched to 415-324-1011 to accept calls for Disaster Relief Assistance for Immigrants program.
Due to the high volume of calls and the challenges with the 800 number, they have switched to a single local Bay Area number for the DRAI program. Please share this new number with any clients and community members. Remember that the program will go for six weeks and the hotline is being staffed 12 hours a day for 6 days a week. So if someone doesn't get through at first, they ask people to be patient and try later. they won't be able to help everyone, but will be able to continue helping people throughout the six weeks. Learn more. View flyers in English or Spanish
There is also a smaller fund created by the Human Agenda to help undocumented people with immigration issues, ie; in ICE detention, with a family member in detention, etc. But undocumented people impacted by COVID-19 who are experiencing homelessness are also eligible even if they are not involved with ICE. The fund is called SOLO. View more information
From Destination: Home - COVID-19 Financial Assistance Program: Phase Two
In recent weeks, we’ve consulted with dozens of community leaders about the need in our community and their ideas for best utilizing the funding that would be available. Based on their input, as well as a survey they conducted of more than 300 vulnerable families, we’ve developed a set of eligibility criteria and outreach strategies to focus our limited funding available towards serving our most vulnerable neighbors.
To qualify for assistance during this round of assistance, households must meet the eligibility criteria below:
Project Baseline: Google's sister company Verily is hosting drive-thru testing at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. Before you visit, you must fill out the forms online AND qualify with the associated medical questions.
Drive through testing in Mountain View
To make an appointment with the County, please visit https://scl.fulgentgenetics.com/appointment. You can schedule from your phone or from a computer using a web browser other than Internet Explorer. Appointments will be open for scheduling 3 days before the testing date. The County team can handle 600 appointments per day. Once all appointments are filled, this location will no longer appear for scheduling on the website. Remember, these are walk-up (not drive-through) sites.
This testing site is not designed to test individuals with symptoms of COVID-19. Individuals with symptoms should contact their healthcare provider for evaluation and testing. You can visit sccfreetest.org for additional testing locations and information.
The County would like to acknowledge that as new directives and updates are being provided by our health officials about COVID-19, a natural reaction may be to worry, which may leave us feeling vulnerable and helpless. In addition to following the advice and orders of our Public Health Officer, here are some tips to help you practice self-care during this time:
While this is not meant to be an all-inclusive list, these tips will hopefully provide some actions you can control during this time.
Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC)
First and foremost, we urge you to remain calm—and take care of yourself. Keep in mind that increased stress can diminish our immune systems. Tips and tricks to help you manage stress are included on CHAC's website, which we advise you to check regularly for updates. We also invite you to connect with us on Facebook to enjoy the benefits of online community support.
In order to protect the health our staff and clinicians as well as the general public, and in accordance with guidelines provided by the Santa Clara Health Department, the following policies are in place at CHAC:
Again, please know that your well-being is always our primary concern. Some quick reminders: If you have a life threatening emergency, call 911. If you have a mental health crisis, call the Santa Clara county crisis line at (855) 278-4204 or the Crisis Text Line at 714714.
The Peer-Run Warm Line (1-855-845-7415) is a non-emergency resource for anyone in California seeking emotional support. We provide assistance via phone and webchat on a nondiscriminatory basis to anyone in need.
The Warm Line aims to be a highly accessible, low-threshold mental health resource that people can use to seek support before they've reached the crisis point, in the hope that support now will prevent crisis later.
The COVID19 Pro Bono Counseling Project is devoted to helping front-line healthcare workers impacted by COVID19 locate free short-term tele-counseling during the COVID19 crisis. Read more here.
Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746. The Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) provides crisis counseling and support for anyone in the U.S. experiencing distress or other behavioral health concerns related to any natural or human-caused disaster, including public health emergencies.
Call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678. A national 24-hour, toll free confidential suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth.
Contact Caregiver Action Network's Care Support Team by dialing 855-227-3640. Staffed by caregiving experts, the Help Desk helps you find the right information you need to help you navigate your complex caregiving challenges. Caregiving experts are available 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM ET.
The COVID-19 shelter-in-place order can create concern for victims and survivors of domestic violence. When survivors are forced to stay in the home or proximity of their abuser, it can create circumstances where their safety is compromised, and they may need to alter their safety plan. If you or a loved one are in need of support, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline:
Call: 1-800-799-7233
TTY: 1-800-787-3224
Text LOVEIS to 22522
Chat at thehotline.org
My Sister's House serves Asian and Pacific Islander and other underserved women and children impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking by providing a culturally appropriate and responsive safe haven, job training, and community services.
The Mountain View Chamber of Commerce has consolidated a list of local restaurants open for delivery and takeout. If any restaurants are missing, please let them know at [email protected].
More Resources on the Chamber Website
The chamber set up a special COVID-19 section on the Chamber of Commerce Website to help you through this difficult period. You'll find resources on Financial Aid, Rent and Housing, Open Businesses, Donations and Volunteering, Health and Safety, and much more. They have also created a page for Guidelines for Re-Opening and a video about opening up Castro Street
The California State Treasurer’s Office has compiled this list of resources to support small businesses.
California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development: Frequently Asked Questions for California Small Businesses
California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development: Small Business Support Centers – Map
California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development: COVID-19 page
Work Sharing Program: Employers can apply for the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Work Sharing Program if reduced production, services, or other conditions cause them to seek an alternative to layoffs.
Counseling Services for SBA Loan Assistance
For assistance with SBA loans, you can visit the business counseling service provided through SBA. Click here to link to the SBA website, then go to the bottom of the page.
You can also view a helpful video on this topic from Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s office, which includes a question and answer segment with a representative from SBA.
Businesses that file Sales and Use Taxes, and are affected by the Coronavirus, can find information about filing and payment extensions, payment plans, and requests for relief of interest or penalties by going to the California Department of Tax and Fee's website: CDTFA.ca.gov. Go to the "Alert!" banner at the top of the page to learn more. Or, taxpayers can call: 1-800-400-7115.
As part of an ongoing local relief effort, the #TogetherMV initiative now has a live donation portal for people to help local renters and small businesses. The fund, which will be administered by the Los Altos Community Foundation (LACF), is a way for community members to help one another while maintaining social distancing. All funds will be distributed locally. Donations are being accepted at MountainView.gov/TogetherMV.
The #TogetherMV Fund has two opportunities to help others who have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic: rent relief and small business relief. Rent relief donations will be added to the funds the City has already given to the Community Services Agency (CSA) to expand help for local tenants in need. Small business relief donations will be combined with funds allocated by the City and a donation from Google.
Business owners can apply for funds by sending an email to [email protected] to get on an interest list. Interest list members will be notified when the application process is opened and what they will need to apply. Renters in need of rent help should continue to go through CSA by sending an email [email protected].
If you have some tech skills, check out the Coronavirus Tech Handbook with resources aplenty for creating tools to help combat the #COVIDー19 pandemic.
The API Legislative Caucus joined Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council, Chinese for Affirmative Action and San Francisco State University Asian American Studies Department to launch the "Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center" to collect and track incidents of anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander hate, violence and discrimination in California and throughout the country. These incidents will help inform future policy discussions. We encourage individuals to share their stories at www.a3pcon.org/stopaapihate.