Marek Warszawski
COVID-19 shines light on Fresno, Tulare county supervisors. What we’re seeing should alarm us
Of all the levels of government, counties are the least understood. Counties also receive the least amount of scrutiny — at least in normal times.
As a society, citizenship is not our strong suit. Recently, we’ve learned an entire segment of Americans define the words “freedom” and “liberty” as “I can do whatever I want whenever I want, regardless of the potential consequences to anyone else.”
Still, even somebody who napped through high school civics can probably demonstrate at least a vague understanding about the role of federal, state and city government.
But county government? Until COVID-19 upended our lives, I’d venture to say John Q. Public barely had a clue.
Thanks to daily updates of coronavirus positives, deaths, hospitalizations and recoveries, more of us are now aware of the important role counties play in protecting and monitoring public health. Likewise, more scrutiny is being paid to the actions of local politicians serving on county Boards of Supervisors.
What have we learned about these elected officials, accustomed to operating under cover of moss? That many of them are ill-suited for the leadership positions they hold, especially during a crisis. Interested more in casting blame and passing the buck than taking tough stances that may cost them future votes.
Cowardly is the word I’m looking for — at least in polite company.
No sooner did Gov. Gavin Newsom order 40 million Californians to shelter in place, a decisive action that crippled our economy but saved thousands of lives, did the sidestepping and undermining by local politicians begin.
Unlike the majority of California’s 58 counties, supervisors in Fresno, Madera and Tulare counties didn’t bother crafting local stay-at-home measures.
Why should they? So much easier to pass that responsibility to the state — allowing them the wiggle room to criticize Newsom when opportunity serves.
Now that businesses are starting to reopen and restaurants can resume seating their customers, what are local supervisors doing to safeguard the public health?
Very, very little. Restaurants must submit a form stating they’re following an array of health guidelines and voila. They’re automatically approved.
Who ensures those protocols are being followed? Are there any teeth behind them? Who is looking out for the well-being of customers and employees?
Not us, insist county supervisors. They’ve placed that onus on business owners and the general public. Anyone but themselves.
Undermining health order on masks
The undermining by elected officials in Fresno County doesn’t stop with Newsom. They do it to their own people.
Over these last few months there has been no more valuable public servant than Fresno County Interim Public Health Officer Rais Vohra. (If you didn’t read Brianna Calix’s profile of him, please do.)
While helping guide Fresno County through the reopening process, Vohra has, on multiple occasions, expressed perfectly reasonable concerns that easing restrictions will lead to an increase of local cases.
With that in mind, Vohra amended his county order mandating residents wear face masks while shopping or indoors at work. But no sooner did the revised order hit the county’s website than Fresno County Supervisors Buddy Mendes and Steve Brandau pushed back.
In about an hour, the language was changed from “All residents shall use cloth masks …” to “All residents should use cloth masks …”
Since Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims has stated her deputies aren’t going to enforce these types of orders, what was the point? All Mendes and Brandau did was flex their political biceps while weakening a measure designed to help prevent people from spreading the virus.
Supervisor Mendes’ Trump act
Thursday afternoon, the Fresno County supervisors held a press conference. Mendes, the board chairman, didn’t begin by addressing the mask order or the state’s OK to reopen restaurants. Instead he told the media present and watching online that he wasn’t wearing a suit and tie for them.
“I didn’t want you guys to think I dressed up because I knew you were coming,” Mendes said in his usual condescending manner.
Next, Mendes launched into a criticism of the state Department of Public Health for … get this, being thorough and asking questions.
Later, when his fellow supervisors were thanking the city of Fresno and Mayor Lee Brand for their cooperation, Mendes refused to be outdone.
“If you look at your file film,” he said, “when Lee Brand was elected, the first person to congratulate him was me. Go look it up.”
Who says President Trump isn’t an influential politician? Mendes has the act down pat.
Meanwhile, in Tulare County
Guess those of us in Fresno County should be thankful Mendes didn’t mimic the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, which voted 3-2 to move the county into Phase 3 in defiance of Newsom and potentially cost themselves millions in relief money.
Never mind that Tulare County’s infection and death rates are some of the highest in the state. Even if nursing homes are omitted the county still doesn’t meet state standards.
“If Tulare County believes there is no emergency … “ Office of Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci wrote to county officials, “the county would not be able to demonstrate that it was extraordinarily and disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. This could jeopardize its disaster funding.”
Just to please a handful of their loudest and most angry constituents, Tulare County supervisors are willing to risk state funds that would benefit all of them. Did they think out that strategy beforehand, or just wing it?
In normal times, for the lack of media coverage and public understanding, county government may as well exist under a cloak of darkness. But right now, the light on county supervisors in the central San Joaquin Valley has never been brighter.
It certainly is illuminating.
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