Will Tulare County add democracy to its long, sad list of COVID-19 victims?
Democracy for millions before the pandemic was difficult. Now it appears to be coming undone in many corners of California. We’ve seen our fair share of division in the past few years, but public health, data and science shouldn’t be the wedges. We can honestly disagree on policies and solutions, but Tulare County represents the politics of the pandemic, and it’s a hideous sight.
In April Tulare County Supervisor Peter Vander Poel stated one of his colleagues, Supervisor Eddie Valero, wanted “another bite of the tortilla” when Valero asked follow-up questions seeking clarification on issues before the board regarding COVID-19.
This incident gained a great deal of attention on social media, as well as in the mainstream media — rightfully so — but after an apology by Supervisor Vander Poel and a few days, it all blew over and it was business as usual in Tulare County. This brings us to May 19, when the board, in defiance of California’s public health orders, voted 3-2 to reopen businesses and churches “effective immediately.”
This happened on the same day that the county reported a spike in COVID-19 cases and four more deaths. This happened despite Tulare County having one of the highest COVID-19 death rates in the state. This happened despite outbreaks at several nursing homes and two food processing plants in the county.
Additionally, it also happened illegally. According to the Visalia Times-Delta, “the surprise decision raised legal advisers’ eyebrows and may be a violation of open meeting laws and California’s Brown Act since the question of reopening was not on the board’s agenda.” The board violated Government Codes §54954.2 and §54945.3 by not putting the item on the agenda at least 72 hours before the meeting, exceeding the language that was on the original agenda item, and by announcing for the first time the vote to reopen after public comment for the agenda item had already happened.
In addition to being a reckless, thoughtless, dangerous and politically driven knee-jerk decision (as opposed to a vote based on science and preserving the community’s health), it also threatens the county’s economic well-being, as it could lose state disaster relief money as a result of this move. Nonprofit organizations and county departments like Tulare Food-Link and CalWorks, which provide emergency food assistance and essential benefits, may miss out on emergency funding due to the board’s actions.
During the beginning of the state shelter-in-place order, advocates and community residents called on the board to place common-sense protections for residential and commercial tenants who were and are hurting from the economic impacts of the county closure. In response to this urgency, Vander Poel responded that he “did not want to prioritize one group of constituents over another.” His recent actions did just that. Except, these actions will hurt essential workers who work in food service, agriculture, food processing facilities, and health care as well as other vulnerable populations. To defeat this crisis, it seems reasonable to accept that we can only do it together, yet influential Tulare County supervisors are more interested in sowing division, which will only reap more disaster.
As a hopeful contrast, Tulare has also seen what true leadership looks like during a crisis. In response to the dangerous and illegal decision led by three of his colleagues, Supervisor Valero authored an apology to Tulare County’s cities and businesses and posted it to his Facebook page. The entire letter is online, https://www.facebook.com/eddie.valero.3, but it reads in part: “As someone who comes from a small business family, I too am eager to reopen our economy ... I also believe in legal process, collaboration, and then execution [but], I’m sorry. I’m sorry we [the county] went rogue in reopening our systems ... I’m sorry we violated the Brown Act ... I’m sorry we didn’t engage in or consult with our cities and communities in the process.”
If the county supervisors had the best interest of their constituents in mind, they would not have acted irresponsibly and would have given all Tulare County constituents, especially those on the front lines, an opportunity to voice their recommendations and concerns.
We urge the Tulare County Board of Supervisors to correct their Brown Act violation and give adequate time and consideration to public health professionals, community residents, and essential workers as they work to meet the state’s metrics to proceed with the reopening.