New idea for social groups sounds a bit overreactive

Alameda County added an interesting element to its shelter-in-place order this week with “social bubbles,” which allows people from different households to gather outdoors in groups of up to 12 people. Santa Clara County hasn’t loosened restrictions this far, but I’m already bracing for a disaster in the making.

Social bubbles are a real-life version of those “which quarantine house would you live in?” quizzes we all took back in March, but you can’t pick Captain America or Pam from “The Office.” You have to choose people from your actual life, and you really have no idea what those people are like now that they’ve been cooped up for three months alone or, potentially worse, with their spouse and kids.

The county’s order also recommends you stay in the same social bubble for three weeks, which is no small commitment, and you’re still supposed to stay masked and socially distant. That sounds like going to the grocery store but with people you know.

You also have to decide if your bubble will include neighbors, friends, coworkers or extended family. And mixing those groups together is a bad idea, as anyone who is married can tell

you. Imagine your wedding reception lasting a month but with less booze and everyone in masks. Sure, the first couple days are great, but then what?

You could spend a week with your coronavirus clique before you realize you’ve made a terrible mistake. Maybe your formerly clean-shaven coworker’s new Grizzly Adams look is not something you want to see for two more weeks. Or maybe someone didn’t get the message that it’s time to start showering again.

The moral implications of social bubbles are staggering. Can you vote someone out of the bubble, “Survivor”-style? Is it OK to ghost your social bubble? Would Miss Manners frown upon having a little side bubble? “Gentle Reader, it is very inappropriate to be unfaithful to your bubble simply because you find their social skills have eroded and you don’t want to hear about their favorite Zoom background for the fourth time.”

Of course, the reality is that some of us have been creating our own social bubbles for weeks now, with small backyard gatherings. But putting the idea in the health order

makes it seem so formal. Leave it to government to take all the fun out of hanging out with your friends.

TEAM SAN JOSE TRIBUTE >> Friends and colleagues of Karolyn Kirchgesler shared their grief this week over the death of the Team San Jose CEO on May 29 at age 58. Kirschgesler was diagnosed with cancer last October and stepped down from her duties with Team San Jose in April so she could spend her remaining weeks of life with her family in South Dakota.

“I had the great privilege of hiring Karolyn, then witnessing her build Team San Jose into a powerhouse,” said Michael

Mulcahy, a Team San Jose board member and former board chair. “Her style, wit and tenacity served our city in too many ways to count. We’ve lost a great leader and an even better human.”

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said he would miss Kirchgesler’s friendship and her passion for the community.

“Karolyn Kirchgesler’s enthusiastic spirit for life was as infectious as her courageous strength in confronting each challenge,” he said.

Kirchgesler was hired in 2013 to lead Team San Jose, the public-private partnership that serves as the city’s visitors bureau and manages the convention center and city-owned theaters. During her tenure, Team San Jose revenues grew from $23.8 million to $63.1 million, and San Jose attracted several big-name conferences including Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference, Facebook’s F8 and Silicon Valley Comic-Con.

John LaFortune, Team San Jose’s chief operating officer, has been leading the organization since April.

START YOUR ENGINES >> After being dormant since late March, San Jose’s parking enforcement efforts are slowly coming back to life. This week, parking officers started patrols to identify abandoned vehicles and leave warnings for their owners. Towing those non-operational vehicles will start June 15, and, later this month, warnings will be issued for safety-related violations like blocking bike lanes or ramps or parking in red zones.

No tickets are being issued yet, and there’s no word on when spots at parking meters and cityowned parking garages will stop being free.