LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Due to concerns about a continuing COVID-19 case surge, the Board of Supervisors took action at its first meeting of the year to temporarily close its chambers to the public while continuing to offer online public access.
The Tuesday vote to close the chambers was 3-2 – with Board Chair Bruno Sabatier and Supervisor Tina Scott dissenting.
Supervisor Moke Simon said he wanted to have the conversation about closing the chambers, which also had been done last year as the pandemic began.
The discussion comes as Lake County’s COVID-19 cases surpassed 2,000, with deaths now at 25.
Simon suggested the suspension of the public’s physical access to the chambers could be reevaluated on a weekly basis, and pointed to the Lake County Superior Court’s actions to curtail in-person proceedings.
Scott said she was pleased to come to the courthouse that day and see everyone masked, and asked about protocol to protect staff. She said she thought that people who came to the courthouse unmasked had to be allowed other access, such as through the Internet, but Sabatier said he was concerned that would take the county “over the line.”
“It’s either we close for all or open for all,” Sabatier said.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said that once people are in the courthouse building – and previous estimates have put the number on a weekly basis at well over 400 – there is no way to follow them around to make sure that they comply.
She said the security guards who work at the building’s front door, under the auspices of the Superior Court, have a supply of masks and require them on entry.
“Once somebody walks in, I don’t know what you can do to make sure they stay masked,” said Huchingson.
She added, “It’s a complicated issue. There’s no doubt about it.”
Huchingson said she has had questions from staff about whether county offices will stay open.
She also pointed out that the board’s meetings go on for hours, and while they’re sitting behind shields, those shields don’t stop air movement.
“It is a growing concern to everyone,” Huchingson said.
County Counsel Anita Grant said that, from a legal perspective, it doesn’t have to be an “all or nothing” situation, noting other jurisdictions are finding ways to modify their operations and she could provide information for the board on how other counties are handling it.
Newly sworn-in District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska, who along with Simon attended via Zoom, said she thought temporarily closing the chamber is a relatively easy way of lowering the impact on staff.
Supervisor EJ Crandell said he was fine with the idea of closing the chambers, pointing out they had done it early in the pandemic.
Sabatier said he feels comfortable coming to the courthouse and the board chambers; regarding the latter, he said there are usually about three people in the room other than supervisors.
“Anything we do comes with a risk,” he said.
Sabatier said some people have difficulty accessing the meetings online and suggested instead that they increase the distance between chairs in the audience from 6 to 12 feet and remove eight chairs.
Pyska suggested placing a monitor outside for the public, raising the concern that the longer they are in the room together, the greater the chance of exposure. She also pointed out that members of the public can call in via Zoom rather than using it online.
Simon said the board can be proud of the access it’s offered to the meeting, noting that it won a state award for its hybrid – online and in-person – meeting format it adopted last year.
He was referring to the California State Association of Counties’ Challenge Award given to the county in November.
Simon said public participation has been “unbelievable” since the pandemic started and closing the chambers is a small thing the board can do to support the fight against the pandemic.
“This hybrid meeting does work,” he said, noting there are opportunities for public participation.
Simon moved to close the chambers temporarily with review on a weekly basis, with Pyska seconding.
Huchingson asked that the weekly review be part of the weekly agenda review process. Grant said the continuation of the closure would need to be considered by the board in open session which Huchingson said they could do.
Pyska asked if they went forward with the closure if they could have the option to have a screen or monitor outside so the public could watch the meeting. Scott also suggested placing a monitor in a window.
Grant suggested giving direction to staff to look at other accommodations and Huchingson said she was leaning toward Pyska’s suggestion due to the issue of airflow in an old building.
The 3-2 vote followed, with the board noting that next week’s meeting will be offered to the public online only. In addition to Zoom, the board meetings are live-streamed on the county’s Facebook page.
In other COVID-19-related news on Tuesday, the board unanimously approved an updated county COVID-19 Worksite Protocol, which it initially accepted on May 19, at which time it directed that the protocol be reviewed every 30 days.
“The questions are continuing to mount,” Huchingson said of inquiries staffers have made about the virus.
Huchingson proposed minor changes including changing quarantine periods from 14 days to 10, the addition of an FAQ section for managers and supervisors that she said is intended to address the many questions coming from departments and a new investigative form to comply with CalOSHA requirements, we have added an investigative form. That form is to be used when an employee is confirmed to be positive. There also is an exposure notification form for co-workers who may have had close contact.
The board also agreed to Huchingson’s suggestion of creating an ad hoc committee of supervisors to work with her and department heads on workplace safety and protocol compliance.
Both Scott and Simon expressed interest in being on the ad hoc committee and the board approved their membership.
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COVID-19 surge prompts Board of Supervisors to close chambers during meetings
- Elizabeth Larson
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