California has a coronavirus stay-at-home order. So why did CHP permit a large protest? (original) (raw)

Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued an order banning large gatherings because of the coronavirus crisis, and Sacramento-area law enforcement officials warned last week that they will start citing people who violate the ban.

So why would state Capitol officials approve a Monday protest against stay-at-home orders that was advertised as attracting as many as 500 people?

It’s not entirely clear. The Capitol’s protest permit website shows the planned demonstration was permitted for noon on the west steps of the Capitol building, which is fenced off as part of a renovation project.

The California Highway Patrol’s capitol protection section, which issues such permits, referred questions Monday to the Senate Rules Committee. An official with that committee referred questions to the sergeant at arms, who said the Senate president pro tem’s office would have to answer. The pro tem’s office was looking into whether the permit was valid.

By 2 p.m., a crowd of hundreds of protesters had gathered near the west steps of the Capitol. They stood shoulder to shoulder and very few wore masks. Some waved flags. Others held signs reading, “Faith not fear,” “I need to go back to work” and “Paychecks are essential.” A parade of dozens upon dozens of cars, trucks, jeeps, work vans and at least one semi tractor circled the Capitol as the drivers honked horns.

Newsom referred to CHP for questions about their permitting of the protest, but said during a Monday news conference that he thought the law enforcement agency allowed it because attendees would demonstrate from their cars, not congregate in person.

“If you’re going to protest, practice physical distancing. If you’re going to protest and express your right of free speech, do so in a way that protects your health and the health of others,” Newsom said.

He said he sympathized with anxieties expressed by protesters and millions of Californians staying at home about the economic toll from coronavirus restrictions. But he said the state’s eventual economic recovery depends on the government ensuring people can stay healthy as the state reopens.

“We must have a health-first focus if we’re ultimately going to come back economically,” he said. “The worst mistake we can make is making a precipitous decision based on politics and frustration that puts people’s lives at risk and ultimately sets back the cause of economic growth and economic recovery.”

The protest was one of many that have cropped up in recent days nationwide – some at the urging of President Trump through his Twitter feed – and one of several planned nationwide today and later in the week. Protesters elsewhere have complained about orders to stay home, arguing that such bans on movements and gatherings are illegal and pointless, despite warnings from federal health officials that such groups pose a danger because of COVID-19.

The Sacramento rally was organized by a group of activists who last year protested a new state law that restricts medical exemptions for vaccines that are mandatory for schoolchildren.

Freedom Angels, the organization known for its activism over vaccines, on social media in recent weeks railed against Newsom’s strict stay-at-home order and proposals for a so-called coronavirus “testing and tracing” system that public health officials say will eventually help determine who has already been infected with COVID-19.

“People need to get back to work, get back to life, get back into contact with their loved ones’ who they’re isolated from, they need to be able to have a paycheck,” said co-founder Tara Thornton. “This is the grounds they will enslave us upon.”

The group obtained a permit to protest that suggests it expected up to 500 people to attend its rally.

Protesters in cars, waving signs

One of the first protesters to show up Monday was an iron worker who would only give his first name, Zach, and said he had lost his job because of the governor’s shutdown.

“It’s ruining lives,” he said as he sat on a bench with a cardboard sign reading “enough is enough.”

“The economy is sinking down and people are bored and depressed and unemployed.”

Zach was dressed in a souvenir San Francisco T-shirt and had no mask or gloves. He said he believes coronavirus is dangerous but that he does not believe wearing a mask helps reduce the spread.

Kyle McCauley, an HVAC worker from Vacaville who turns 31 on Tuesday, said he came to the rally because he is disturbed by the erosion of Americans’ rights.

“Wake up, people,” he said standing with a backpack that had an American flag poking out of it. “Our rights are disappearing.”

McCauley said he was surprised the group received a permit and said he learned of the event from Facebook. He added that he did not come as a political statement in support of Trump, saying he voted for Bernie Sanders in 2016 and is an independent.

Newsom said some countries, including Singapore and parts of China, lifted some coronavirus restrictions but then had to reimpose them when they saw a surge in cases. He doesn’t want to do that in California.

In the meantime, Newsom said his administration shares the protesters’ goal to reopen the economy and is assessing when it will be safe to do so. He promised a peek “behind the curtain” Wednesday as to where the state stands on testing, hospitalizations and other metrics he’s monitoring to determine when California can start reopening.

Sacramento coronavirus protest details

The protest was to have begun with set-up at 8 a.m. and a program to start at 8:15 a.m., according to the permit website. But there was no sign of any demonstration by 10 a.m. Monday. A Facebook post from last week touting the protest said it would begin at noon.

Such protests typically are watched over by CHP officials on the Capitol grounds and from the building, with Sacramento police officers providing security on the sidewalks and streets around the Capitol. Sacramento police said they were “continuing to monitor the protest.”

The protest follows a rally in Huntington Beach on Saturday where hundreds of people called for a re-opening of California’s economy, as well as protests in other state capitals. On Sunday, thousands of people protested Washington State’s stay-at-home order in Olympia and President Donald Trump in a series of messages on Twitter seemed to encourage people to “liberate” their state economies.

COVID-19 has killed more than 1,150 people in California and infected 30,000, according to the state Department of Public Health. Newsom signed an executive order on March 19 to keep people at home until the threat of infection wanes.

Freedom Angels said in a Thursday Facebook video it has plans for additional rallies on April 24 and May 1.

Freedom Angels did not respond to questions from The Sacramento Bee, but a flyer posted to social media urges participants in “Operation Gridlock” to bring signs and flags.

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State Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, said people “should be able to petition their government,” but discouraged public protests that can pose a significant public health risk.

“We know this disease, when people cluster together for periods of time, is how it spreads. That’s why we have the orders not to gather,” Pan said. “There’s a certain level of selfishness and lack of concern for other people and that’s concerning.”

Protests against the stay-at-home directive could harm the state’s battle against the virus, public health experts say.

“The best tool we currently have to prevent the spread of COVID-19 right now is physical distancing which is facilitated by sheltering in place and handwashing,” said Brandon Brown, an epidemiologist and associate professor in the Center for Healthy Communities at UC Riverside School of Medicine. “Resistant efforts such as in person protests or rallies against shelter in place orders and pushback against physical distancing can reverse the positive progress we have achieved thus far in flattening the curve.”

Sophia Bollag of The Sacramento Bee Capitol Bureau contributed to this report.

This story was originally published April 20, 2020, 10:24 AM.

The Sacramento Bee

Hannah Wiley is a former reporter for The Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Bureau.

Sam Stanton retired in May 2024 after 33 years with The Sacramento Bee. He covered a variety of issues, including politics, criminal justice and breaking news.