Anti-vaccine group aided effort to overturn COVID order in county where health officer quit

As the Placer County Board of Supervisors was meeting Sept. 8 to discuss rescinding its emergency COVID-19 order, a California anti-vaccine group that’s promoted inaccurate coronavirus information online was rallying their followers – some from outside the county – to call in support for the effort.

The string of callers the Freedom Angels recruited helped convince the board to downgrade COVID-19’s status as a public health emergency in Placer County, a decision that prompted the local health officer to resign.

The coalition, which has traveled up and down the state for anti-coronavirus rallies, also had an ally on the board: District 4 Supervisor Kirk Uhler.

Members of the public were allowed to physically attend the meeting or phone in support for or opposition to the resolution.

In a series of text messages, Freedom Angels co-founder Tara Thornton and Uhler coordinated when the group’s followers should fill the phone lines with approving messages for the proposal, according to documents The Sacramento Bee obtained via a Public Records Act request.

“Would you like us to make public comment on the resolution later in the meeting,” Thornton asked Uhler via text around 9:05 a.m. “Was just planning to livestream but are happy to make comment if it’s beneficial. Let me know what you think is best.”

“You can phone comments in,” Uhler responded, before telling Thornton public input would begin around 20 to 30 minutes after the board first took up the measure at 10:45 a.m. “Yes, comments help.”

At 10:47 that morning, the group posted to its Facebook page an “urgent” call to action.

“Anyone from any location can call in to support the resolution in ending the lockdown,” the post included. “This is a piece that will model the nation. Please call in with your public comment support.”

Soon after, the lines opened with callers urging the supervisors to terminate the “tyrannical takeover,” restore constitutional “freedoms” and end the COVID-19 “political ploy.”

Some callers shared more common concerns about the economy, attending church services indoors or sending their children to school for in-person instruction. Though some said they were Placer County residents, many callers were not asked to confirm where they lived.

Since March, Placer County has recorded 3,523 COVID-19 cases and 43 deaths. The region is still considered to have “substantial” spread of the virus, according to the state’s COVID-19 tracking system.

Thornton, who said she lives in the Northern Sierra, also attended the meeting, maskless, to record the board’s discussion and participate in public testimony.

“This is what tyranny is,” Thornton said, adding that Californians should be learning about how to bolster their immune systems through “best and effective natural and allopathic treatments.”

“Thank you for leading the way,” she said. “As you lead the way, you will help the counties that are far behind us.”

Additional enthusiasm came from fellow Freedom Angels co-founder Denise Aguilar, a San Joaquin County resident.

“Why are we traumatizing these children by requiring masks and social distancing?” Aguilar said. “Why are we telling people that they have to be afraid of each other and put masks on and not touch each other? What’s happening right now is full on tyranny.”

A handful of callers also expressed frustration with the debate.

“Why issue this resolution and confuse Placer County residents and bring scrutiny from the state on us,” one woman said over the phone. “This was never a reckless board who would be misled by fringe theories or swept off its steady course by extremists.”

After nearly three hours of discussion and public comment, the board unanimously passed the measure 5-0, essentially freeing the county from enforcing statewide coronavirus restrictions on businesses.

Thornton and Uhler celebrated the vote in a Facebook live video after the meeting, during which Uhler urged Placer County residents and business owners to still respect and adhere to mask or other COVID-19 mandates the state requires in certain sectors.

“Be careful with that,” Uhler said. “But if you’re in Placer County and not subject to state licensing, there’s nothing the county is going to be doing to enforce any of the stay-at-home stuff, state-of-emergency stuff, any of that stuff.”

“That’s a really big deal,” Thornton responded.

Uhler said he had met Thornton three days before the meeting during a Nevada County Republican Party house event. Uhler said he was not familiar with the Freedom Angels when Thornton introduced herself and the two began talking about the resolution.

“Frankly, I’m not really familiar with them as an organization,” Uhler said.

Uhler also said he assumed Thornton meant she would reach out to “people in the area” to call in for the meeting.

“I didn’t realize it meant people out of state,” he said. “Not that I think that’s a bad thing. California being shut down is impactful to the rest of the country. Obviously people across this country have a vested interest in seeing our country get back open.”

In emails sent to District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson, however, residents expressed frustration over not being able to get through the call line.

“This was a total setup,” a woman named Mary Alred wrote. “Like the calls from out of state. There has to be a clarification sent out.”

“This is what you gave into today,” another emailer named Lisa Larkin wrote. “Coincidence that we didn’t get to speak and the lines crammed with Freedom Angels? No confirmation of where anyone lived, I hope you are happy. The rest of us are being sacrificed at the expense of this a** and you all lined up and are responsible.”

This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM.