California must crack down on possible COVID superspreader conference near Sacramento

Just days after throngs of dimwitted local Instagram “influencers” packed a Granite Bay mansion for a New Year’s Eve party amid spiking COVID-19 infections, another potential superspreader event is coming to the Sacramento region.

As COVID fills California’s hospitals and morgues, a group of right-wing politicians has decided to host what appears to be a coronavirus denier party in Rancho Murieta.

Sacramento superspreader?

The conference, which is being held in defiance of Sacramento County’s public health rules, could create a boom in new infections. But its real aim is to spread disinformation about COVID and denounce California’s efforts to reduce the virus’ death toll. The roster of speakers is a who’s who of debunked politicians who have repeatedly downplayed the danger or resisted taking action to slow its spread.

There’s Sacramento County Supervisor Sue Frost, who has blocked efforts to enforce public health measures, voted against eviction protections for COVID’s economic victims and often refuses to wear a mask at public meetings. There’s Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, whose senseless Facebook posts are so rife with lies about COVID that this newspaper recently had to issue a point-by-point rebuttal.

Also on the agenda: several Republican legislators who have continually whined about lockdowns but seem to have no solution besides surrendering to the virus and exponentially increasing its death toll. Some elected officials are flying in from Southern California, which is ground zero for infections.

One prominent Democratic leader, California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, originally planned to attend the conference. She canceled Wednesday and called the event “clearly political.”

Newsom recall stunt

A simple scan of the website for the “Re-Open Cal Now” event reveals that it’s a partisan, anti-science, anti-Democratic stunt. It features links to negative stories about Democratic politicians as well as links to dubious sources of COVID disinformation.

The slap-dash conference — organized by something called the Gorilla Learning Institute — is clearly designed to bolster the recall effort against Gov. Gavin Newsom. Its keynote speaker: Rep. Tom McClintock, a Newsom critic who voted against the coronavirus relief bill last spring and recently signed onto a failed lawsuit that aimed to overturn the victory of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

The conference’s list of sponsors inspires no confidence in its credibility. Sponsors include ABBA Bail Bonds, the Rancho Murieta Equestrian Center and something called Dezy’s Beef, Bread & Beer. It appears no one with any medical expertise or public health interest took an interest in sponsoring the event, though one panel does feature doctors who have taken anti-mask or anti-lockdown positions at odds with the scientific consensus.

For the most part, it’s the same bunk we’ve been hearing from pro-Trump, pro-COVID voices for months: Instead of taking measures to save as many lives as possible, we should simply let millions of people die. Those who embrace this anti-science view seem to think mass deaths will boost the economy. While this strategy might boost coffin sales, there’s no evidence to suggest that allowing COVID to run rampant through our community would spur economic growth. In addition, a policy of mass deaths would be highly immoral and do permanent damage to our communities.

Letting scores of people die unnecessarily also happens to be an extremely unpopular idea in California. Polls consistently show strong public support for the state’s efforts to protect lives by temporarily closing non-essential businesses and requiring masks. Californians are more concerned about dying of COVID — or losing a loved one — than losing money. Besides, who wants to die from a horrible coronavirus for which there’s now a vaccine?

Beating COVID

The evidence is clear: Countries that are beating COVID have done so through strict shutdowns and universal observance of public health rules. In places like Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan, leaders put their faith in science, took every precaution and followed public health rules. We know how to defeat this virus — and it’s not by opening Disneyland and digging mass graves.

Gov. Newsom has earned criticism for his hypocrisy and inconsistency. He deserves to be held accountable for his errors. But if Republicans think they can beat Newsom by arguing that he should have forced more people to die, they must be high on bleach. The question isn’t whether California has done too much to stop COVID. The question is whether California is doing enough.

California death toll

With over 28,000 deaths and counting, California has become an epicenter of the crisis. Yet businesses across the state continue to openly violate public health orders, highlighting a major lack of enforcement. Case in point: The COVID denier circus coming to Rancho Murieta, which is taking place in direct violation of state and local public health rules.

“This three-day, in-person conference, scheduled to take place in Sacramento County, is in violation of state and local health orders and has the potential to become a super-spreader event,” said Dr. Olivia Kasirye, Sacramento County’s public health officer. “This is exceedingly troubling as we are experiencing an unprecedented number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Not only does this put the event attendees at risk, it puts the conference venue employees at risk of contracting COVID-19 and spreading it to their families.”

Kasirye warned of potential consequences for the Murieta Equestrian Center and the Murieta Inn and Spa, the two facilities hosting the conference. Newsom should order state health officials to call Kasirye and assist in making those threats a reality.

This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 5:00 AM.