In a recent report on the
Sacramento County Board of Supervisors’ handling of the early months of
California’s COVID-19 situation, the Sacramento County Grand Jury determined
that the board “abandoned” the county’s public health office.
The report notes that
after an extensive investigation, it was determined that the supervisors
ignored the county public health officer for five months prior to engaging in
dialogue pertaining to the county’s COVID-19 activities and the pandemic’s
impact on its residents.
It is also mentioned in
the report that although Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye asked for
assistance early in the COVID-19 situation, she was allowed only one appearance
before the board.
That appearance came after
she sent a confidential email message to the supervisors, detailing the public
health office’s range of pandemic response efforts and the heavy burden that
staff and volunteers underwent to protect the community.
The grand jury determined
that the public health office’s pandemic response efforts were in stark
contrast to Board of Supervisors efforts, and that the board’s “apathy” during
this public health emergency, and that the supervisors’ inactions delayed
necessary public health program funding and undercut public health order
enforcement.
It was recommended by the
grand jury that the Board of Supervisors, the county executive and the county
Office of Public Health work together to establish a public health emergency
response plan to approach future public health orders and best ensure the
safety of county residents.
County Supervisor Don
Nottoli, who represents Elk Grove in District 5, told the Citizen this week
that the pandemic was a learning experience for his board.
“Could things have been
smoother?” he asked. “Probably in all likelihood they could have been. But
again, I’m not one to make excuses or say that the board didn’t have an
appropriate role. We do. We’re the elected representatives for folks in the
county.
“But there is a structure
by which we operate, as well. There’s a lot of moving parts, and, of course, it
was a time that none of us had experienced. Again, that’s not an excuse, but
things were unfolding very quickly.”
Nottoli mentioned that the
Board of Supervisors will, in the “near future,” present a formal, written
response to the Grand Jury’s findings, as well as a response to the Grand
Jury’s recommendations.
“We are required by law to
respond, but we will, I think, be thoughtful in the way we approach it and give
the county’s point of view as it relates to what the Grand Jury has certainly
reported,” he said.
Nottoli’s District 5
encompasses more than 650 square miles and includes the Elk Grove, Galt, Rancho
Cordova, and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta communities. He will not run for
reelection this year.
Elk Grove City Council
Member Pat Hume, one of the candidates seeking to become the next District 5
representative in this June’s election, responded to the grand jury’s findings.
“It was obviously an
unprecedented time, changing landscape and environment,” he said. “But the most
important thing is that there’s a new executive team in place at this point.
So, the recommendations might be going back to how the old (chief
administrative officer) handled things.”
Hume added that he
supports the Grand Jury’s recommendation to have a better plan in place for the
board to handle future public health emergencies.
“I think all of that is a
good recommendation,” he said. “But I think that it’s kind of poking a dead
horse a little bit about what didn’t happen at the time when everyone was
caught by surprise.”
Former Elk Grove Mayor
Steve Ly, another candidate for the District 5 supervisor seat, also responded
to the Grand Jury’s report.
“Decision makers cannot be
complacent when it comes to public health and public safety of all residents,”
he said. “Elected officials, especially, in any capacity are obligated to do
their due diligence in responding to and protecting the people they serve.
Listen to and work with your expert staff in serving your constituents.”
Cosumnes Community
Services District Board President Jaclyn Moreno, who is also a candidate in the
District 5 county supervisors race, said she supports the Grand Jury’s findings
and recommendations.
“I agree,” she said.
“People were suffering greatly during this time, and I think, unfortunately,
politics got in the way, especially in terms of enforcing the mask mandate.
“As I look back to that
time as an elected official myself, I felt a lot of pressure to make sure that
we were responding quickly and utilizing funding to best support the needs of
the community.”
Moreno added that had she
been a supervisor on that board, she would have asked for a “quick and swift
response” to the financial challenges and other needs of county residents.
District 5 candidate Alex
Joe, who also ran for the same seat in 1994 and 1998, noted that he is
concerned with the Grand Jury’s findings regarding the Board of Supervisors.
“It is concerning to me,
because of the fact that there’s just evidence all over the news every day
about deaths in the city, the county, the state, the nation,” he said.
“So, I mean, they’re
tracking people dying, and this is a critical period when the virus is in full
swing and there’s a need to respond and we don’t take that action. That’s an
experience level that someone on the board should take seriously to the extent
that you act.”
Elk Grove Citizen
By Lance Armstrong - Citizen Staff Writer
April 15, 2022
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