Resolution to end state blueprint supported by local leaders
Several north state county supervisors are backing an assembly concurrent resolution introduced by Assembly members James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) and Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) earlier this week to end Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency powers as a result of the March 4, 2020, emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Assembly Concurrent Resolution
No. 46 was introduced Monday, March 15 and among the coauthors are Assemblywoman Megan Dahle (R-Bieber), as well as Senators Brian Dahle (R-Bieber) and Jim Nielsen (RTehama).
Gallagher and Kiley held a virtual press conference Tuesday, March 16, calling for an end to the statewide emergency and the Blueprint for a Safer Economy tier system so that local counties can assume control of the response. The call
also included a number of supervisors from around the north state, including Butte County Supervisor Tod Kimmelshue and Sutter County Supervisor Karm Bains.
As Gallagher and Kiley explained, the assembly concurrent resolution was born out of a meeting held in October 2020 among 15 north state counties during which the first version of the “Healthy Communities Approach to COVID-19 Local Restrictions” was drafted. A resolution supporting the healthy communities approach to COVID-19 has since been adopted in 14 counties, including Butte and Glenn counties.
In Butte County, however, the resolution required two votes in separate meetings before it passed, and on the second vote, it did not receive support from the entire board. The resolution passed 3-2 during a Feb. 9 meeting with Kimmelshue providing the decisive “yes” vote. Supervisors Debra Lucero and Tami Ritter voted against adopting the resolution.
“This is coming from across the state, across the spectrum, where counties are saying we have the ability to manage this crisis locally, and therefore this emergency should be ended,” Gallagher said. “This blueprint framework should be put to bed. It’s long past due.”
Both the healthy communities approach and now, Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 46, are consistent with the rhetoric Gallagher and Kiley have employed for much of the pandemic, arguing the “one-size-fits-all approach” to COVID-19 restrictions has hurt small businesses and schools, in particular, that have been forced to close or remain open with limited numbers.
“In addition to, as Kevin outlined, this being a completely undemocratic framework — it was not passed by any legislature, by no representative government whatsoever, it was solely the governor and public health officials at (California) Department of Public Health … who decided on this framework and imposed it on all of us,” Gallagher said.
Kimmelshue, who began serving on the Butte County Board of Supervisors in January, said during the press conference that he supported Gov. Newsom in the earliest stages of the pandemic, “but it kind of went south from there.” He said state leaders have not been flexible in responding to the pandemic, nor have they trusted its citizens.
“This whole problem is because of inflexibility,” Kimmelshue said.
“In my many years in agriculture, business and community leadership, I have found people to be trustworthy and good, and they will do the right thing. What you need to do is, you need to set up some guidelines and encourage them in those guidelines and they will comply. But if you dictate, they will rebel. And I think that’s what’s happened in California — there’s too much dictating going on, not enough teamwork.
“It takes strong leadership in a pandemic situation like this. Unfortunately, this has not happened in California. So, we need to move away from this state emergency blueprint and let counties take over and do what counties do best — that is, govern at a local level.”