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Sac Co. Supervisors notice that building is closed. (Photo: Facebook)
Concerned Citizens Shout Down COVID Penalties at Sacramento County Supervisors Meeting
Elected officials would do well to remember who pays their bills and put them into power in the first place
By Samuel Coleman, December 16, 2020 2:57 am
When you consider adjectives to describe what a county board of supervisors meeting is, exciting probably isn’t the first that comes to mind.
The Dec. 8, Sacramento County Board of Supervisors meeting, however, proved an exception to the rule when protestors began banging on the doors and demanding entrance into the building.
Cries of “This is a public meeting, you have to let us in,” can be heard on camera, spoken by an unidentified woman before board members begin to perk up.
Shortly thereafter, security personnel are called to quiet the crowd of nearly 30 who gathered outside the doors while a brief recess is called.
Why?
As the Sacramento Bee reported, the board members were debating an emergency ordinance that would have allowed Code Enforcement and law enforcement personnel to fine businesses $10,000 for disregarding COVID-19 lockdown regulations, while also fining individuals who flout the mandates $25 to $500 per offense.
A woman identified as Gabrielle from Stand Up Sacramento County said the group is made up of small business owners, independent contractors and average people whose lives have been affected by government-mandated shutdowns.
She said they showed up en masse because businesses have already suffered through two shutdowns, with another looming, and members of her group are feeling righteous anger at this attempt by health authorities to take a punitive stance against individuals and small business owners just trying to make a livelihood.
After an hour-long recess, the board returned to the room and began to discuss allowing an emergency ordinance that would have allowed enforcement of the aforementioned public health order.
The mood had clearly shifted in the room.
“We’ve decided to pull the bill, pull the ordinance, today and bring it back in the future — maybe next week, maybe not,” said Dr. Peter Beilenson, health director for the county’s Department of Health Services.
“It will be based on trying to reduce the number of gatherings rather than businesses,” he said.
Ultimately, several board members were made sufficiently uncomfortable by the idea of fining people for failing to comply with COVID-19 lockdown dictates. It’s clear something changed during the hour when the supervisors had left the room.
To help fill into the gaps, Gabrielle filmed a Facebook live video, where she reported, “(They) got over 2,500 emails of public comments from Sacramento County.”
It’s clear most of those writing were opposed to the idea, since it’s fairly rare for ordinances brought up for public discussion to be so quickly removed for seemingly no reason.
Ultimately, the will of Sacramento residents was heard. Very few are asking for more punitive measures to be taken against businesses that are already financially strained and trying their best to work within the framework of those COVID-19 guidelines while also staying afloat financially.
Groups like Stand-Up Sacramento County, made up primarily of businesses owners and concerned citizens, are doing what they can to stop tyrannical government overreach from finding its way into local decision making.
Updated 8:00 PM, December 15:
At the time of this original writing, it was unclear if the ordinance would be coming back. However, the Board of Supervisors announced on Dec. 15 that the public would not be allowed in the building for this week’s meeting, claiming it’s a matter of “public health and safety”.
Months of being lectured to about “public health and safety” by our elected overlords, only to watch them break their own rules, has made it clear government officials don’t actually believe what they’re telling us.
The move by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to keep the public out of their meeting is a nakedly political move to push through their agenda without having to hear from We The People.
Many people are at their breaking point, and elected officials would do well to remember who pays their bills and put them into power in the first place.
- Gov. Newsom Willing to Re-Open Schools – Just as Soon as the Labor Unions Tell Him To - January 29, 2021
- Concerned Citizens Shout Down COVID Penalties at Sacramento County Supervisors Meeting - December 16, 2020
- Government Unions Had a Surprisingly Bad Election Night in California - November 12, 2020
Covid is turning out to be a great excuse for this banana republic
Next meeting, torches and guns! These politicians are OUT OF HAND AND NEED TO BE REMOVED!!!!!!!
If the people are not allowed in, the tryants should not be allowed out.
Period
Hopefully no one called in a bomb threat. That would be taking things too far…
. Too bad Sacramento County put these fascists into power for so many years. Until they threatened peoples survival so severely this kind of behavior has not only been tolerated but endorsed by these same business owners by enlarge. Based on my experience as a Davis County resident in early 2000’s. /
I’m thinking that reviving tar and feathering is a pretty good idea. I guess we could try a temporary restraining order first and then go to the tar bucket: just because it’s 2020 and not 1620. But after the whole rule of law thing doesn’t work maybe we should default to what brought us the rule of law in the first place, just sayin….
Code enforcement is 100% nazis in training. Any cop who would enforce such rules is no better
If a legislative action is taken without allowing public comment, is that not a violation of either the Brown act or the State open meetings laws, thus vacating them?