California Grocers Association President and CEO Ron Fong was today appointed to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Community Vaccine Advisory Committee which is tasked with providing input into the distribution and allocation of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

“This is a tremendous opportunity to have a seat at the table as the vaccine begins being distributed throughout California,” Fong said. “It’s critical the State prioritize frontline grocery workers to receive the vaccine, after healthcare workers. We also want to help coordinate the safe vaccine distribution from grocery store pharmacies to our communities and employees. As a vital component of every community, local grocery pharmacies provide a convenient, safe location to distribute the vaccine.”

The Community Vaccine Advisory Committee, under the direction of Dr. Erica Pan, Acting State Public Health Officer, will build on the work of the Scientific Safety Review Work Group and the Drafting Guidelines Work Group. The Committee will provide input and feedback for the ongoing planning and engagement efforts to ensure equitable vaccine distribution and allocation. In the beginning, vaccine supplies will be limited and will be distributed to those at highest risk.

“While the COVID-19 vaccine is new, we are not starting our planning process from scratch. This is an area of expertise we have strong partnerships in, building on lessons learned from previous vaccination campaigns, including H1N1 and seasonal flu,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom when announcing the committee last month. “We’ve been planning and thinking about this for months, and we are being guided by some of the world’s best experts in this field.”

Today’s announcement was Fong’s second appointment to a statewide pandemic-related committee. Earlier this year, Fong was invited to participate on Gov. Newsom’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery.

The Gelson’s executive will direct the Board’s strategy across numerous industry initiatives into 2021.

SACRAMENTO, CA (Dec. 4, 2020) – Hee-Sook Nelson, Vice President, Team Development & Public Affairs, for Gelson’s Markets, was elected the 2020-2021 California Grocers Association Chair of the Board of Directors at the Association’s virtual Annual Meeting on Dec. 4, 2020.

As Chair, Nelson will lead the Board’s strategy regarding CGA’s numerous legislative, educational, communications and industry-related programs. The Association is comprised of more than 300 retail companies operating more than 6,000 stores in California and Nevada. The chair serves for one year. She succeeds Phil Miller, C&S Wholesale Grocers.

“We are excited to have Hee-Sook serve as chair in the coming year,” said CGA President & CEO Ron Fong. “She has a keen understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities facing our industry, particularly as we all work to the navigate the ongoing global pandemic.”

Nelson is the first Asian American woman to serve as CGA Board Chair, and the second woman to serve in this role in the last three years.

In addition to Nelson, the following individuals were elected to the 2020-2021 CGA Board of Directors Executive Committee: First Vice Chair, Renee Amen, Super A Foods; Second Vice Chair, Dennis Darling, Foods Etc.; Treasurer, Lynn Melillo, Bristol Farms; Secretary, Hal Levitt, The Save Mart Companies; and Immediate Past Chair, Phil Miller, C&S Wholesale Grocers.

Directors elected to their first full three-year term include: Kylie Bishop LaBrie, The Hershey Company; Lori Brown, Post Consumer Brands; Elaina Budge, Costco Wholesale; Mary Kasper, 99 Cents Only Stores; Tyler Kidd, Mar-Val Food Stores; Kelli McGannon, Ralphs Grocery Company; David Moore, E. & J. Gallo; Ken Mueller, Raley’s; Josh Southerland, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling; Diane Snyder, Whole Foods Market.

Directors elected to their second three-year term include: Jake Fermanian, Super King Markets; David Higginbotham, Stater Bros. Markets; John Mastropaolo, Chobani; Lee Smith, Smart & Final Stores; Rick Stewart, Susanville Supermarket IGA; Karl Wissmann, C&K Market.

Chair appointments to the Executive Committee include; Denny Belcastro, Kimberly-Clark Corp.; Steve Dietz, United Natural Foods, Inc.; and Michel LeClerc, North State Grocery Company. Former CGA Chair Kendra Doyel, Ralphs Grocery Company, was elected an honorary board member.

In Case You Missed It

Last week, upon release of the Regional Stay at Home Order, Governor Newsom’s staff shared that the grocery industry was not included in the new 20% occupancy limit placed on “retail.”

Within 48 hours, the Governor’s office changed course and informed the Association of its intention to move grocery to a 20% occupancy cap, along with all other non-essential retail.

The Association aggressively pursued a reversal and investigated every means available to pressure the Governor. Late Sunday evening, Newsom’s staff shared that grocery store occupancy will be restricted to 35% under the Regional Stay at Home Order.

The LA Times reports:

On Sunday, hours before a new health order went into effect across much of California, officials issued an addendum allowing grocery stores to operate at 35% capacity — down from 50% capacity, which has been in effect statewide since the beginning of the pandemic, but up from 20% in the latest state-ordered restrictions. The state’s order had required both essential stores, such as grocers, and nonessential retail, such as shopping malls, to limit capacity to 20% if they were in an area considered a coronavirus danger zone. But the California Grocers Assn. lobbied against such a drastic reduction.

State officials worked over the weekend with the California Grocers Assn. to bring clarity to the latest order, said Dave Heylen, a spokesman for the industry group.

Ron Fong, president and CEO of the association, argued that grocery stores needed to be distinguished from other types of retail, noting that under the original order all stores were lumped together.

Contrary to other retailers, such as clothing stores, “we are providing critical infrastructure, providing safe food to our customers,” Fong said Monday morning.

A member of Newsom’s task force on business and jobs recovery, created in the spring during the earliest surge of the pandemic, Fong said the governor agreed that grocery stores needed to be carved out in the new rules. 

Customers should not have trouble accessing their local grocery stores under the modified cap, Fong said. 

“There will not be crowding,” he said. “We will not have long lines out the door, which was what our concern was going to be at 20%.”