Passions were heated on both sides, but the end result of this week’s Board of Supervisors’ discussion on a possible enforcement ordinance was the approval of the first reading of the non-urgency ordinance to enforce the Public Health orders issued in the spring in relations to COVID-19.
The distinction is important because an urgency ordinance requires agreement from four of the five members of the board in order to pass, and the BOS was nowhere near arriving at that threshold when the issue was first taken up back in June. However, a non-urgency ordinance like the one discussed and approved by three out of the five board members Tuesday did not require the four votes.
So what changed? Supervisor E.J. Crandell, the representative for the Third District said at the meeting the ordinance was designed to prevent the county’s funding through the CARES Act – the coronavirus legislation Congress passed in March – from being yanked, as the governor and state had stated it would withhold that funding from counties that did not comply with the health orders.
The usual suspects were the two dissenting votes, District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown and District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier. For his part Sabatier stated he wanted to see more incentives for compliance “a carrot” instead of fines and enforcement, focusing instead on education. Only some businesses are refusing to comply so it is apparent to anyone who has been paying attention that education has not been sufficient.
Brown was more forceful but in our opinion, made less sense than Sabatier bringing forth the usual spate of conspiracy theories, hyperbolic rhetoric and emotional appeals in his opposition to any enforcement penalties. At one point he said he was tired of the COVID situation. With all due respect does he think he is the only one? Moreover, we agree with Fourth District Supervisor Tina Scott’s assessment that the county needs to continue on a path of being “proactive” rather than being reactive.
Scott made the case that she was worried because Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace told the board the county was on the verge of being placed on the state’s watch list, which could lead to another shutdown. We concur, Dr. Pace continues to warn about this possibility and in our opinion, the board has waited too long already deliberating semantics, and trying to appease the Blue Collar committee or other unsanctioned groups.
We think District 1 Board Chair Moke Simon showed true leadership in advocating for public safety. While it is true that hospitalizations are down statewide and deaths in Lake County are low comparatively speaking, we agree with Pace who referenced science to make the case that enforcement is another tool in the Health Department’s arsenal for combatting and preventing further spread, especially given the rise in cases in surrounding counties and people’s unwillingness to curtail large gatherings.
A second reading of the ordinance is on the BOS agenda for Tuesday. If the ordinance passes, it will still take time for it to go into effect as it won’t be enforceable until mid September. In our view, the Board needs to stop bickering and arguing about ideology and get on the same page and pass this ordinance to protect Lake County residents and businesses.
