Joint powers

When I first heard of the possibility of a joint public health department between Santa Clarita, Palmdale, and Lancaster, I assumed this meant Palmdale was onboard with Lancaster, but that’s not the case.

In a recent interview, R Rex Parris, seems to blame Palmdale for its recent surge, pointing to the fact that masks are not mandated and Mayor Hoffbauer is often seen without his.

According to Parris, if the county acted sooner, it would see compliance similar to Lancaster. He said Lancaster has been “hammering, without exception” the need for people to wear masks since March, even has building and safety inspectors going “around all the stores, [making it] clear to them ‘you violate this rule, we’re going to shut them down.’ We haven’t shut anybody down.”

And he’s right, he hasn’t shut down a single business, but he fails to mention that there have been over 35 citations and at least 5 repeat offenders with some racking up more than 4 citations in the past 3 months.

I’d like to believe that Palmdale will stay transparent with its residents by not succumbing to misleading statements. There is no indication that a separate health department will fare any better. At the end of his interview, Parris was asked why he wants a joint health department with Palmdale who doesn’t mandate wearing masks, to which he replied “because then I could enforce it couldn’t I?” What concerned me was his response when the interviewer stated “Palmdale may or might have some something to say about that as well.” Parris stated “[Hoffbauer] wouldn’t because that’s how Joint Powers agreement works.”

If reason and logic triumph, it makes more sense to follow the recommendation of a health director who blames racism for disparities rather than the mayor who blames the neighboring city. Aurora Hernandez

Palmdale