Page 3 - Sonoma County Gazette 6-20

Every Day Acts of Kindness
My Dad is confused with all the changes in his surroundings. To have your staff be
so kind and so patient with him
just makes me want to cry
We are proud to announce the opening of Mirabel Lodge at Carnation!
Ask us about a ZOOM visit!
Residential care facilities For the elderly Owned & Operated by Alain & Judith Serkissian
License # 496803416
5161 Oak Meadow Dr. Santa Rosa
County Sheriff defies public health order
On Monday, June 1st, the Superior Court will open all criminal courtrooms, bringing hundreds of involved parties to a courthouse which has been all but empty these last few months. While anxiety is high, extensive preparations have been made, and every possible tool in the toolbox is being utilized to ensure citizens have safe access to justice.
with relief. THANK YOU!
Mirabel Lodge
License # 496800941
6950 Mirabel Rd. Forestville
mirabellodge.com
(707) 887-1754
So, County Sheriff Mark Essick gets to decide which regulations (laws) and directives he wants to enforce or not. This is precisely what his very public defiance (Facebook posting)
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of County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase’s public health order is. All Sheriff’s Essick’s protestations about being “bullied” and not a part of these public health decisions is pure nonsense and egoic lame excuses.
To add to the confusion and fear, our Sheriff has now said he will no longer enforce the Public Health Order. Yes, it is difficult to enforce and at times may seem arbitrary. That said, the Sheriff and I both know our role is not to make policy but to enforce the rules. We can play an effective role in developing policy, but at the end of the day, our primary responsibility lies with the enforcement of those rules.
Since when do police get to decide which laws they’ll enforce? Does the public have this option and if not, why not? Is that the new legal system, as voiced and demonstrated by Donald Trump time and again? Where is Essick going in this power- play with elected county officials? Is he looking for some kind of national recognition by the MAGA crowd? Is he auditioning for Trump?
Because the Sheriff’s position is
at odds with other law enforcement agencies and creates unnecessary inconsistent messages throughout the county, I feel compelled to remind the public that ultimately the decision to file criminal charges lies with the office of the District Attorney. I am trained in law not science, and will rely upon the experts to navigate a safe path forward for us through this time. Thus, I will work with other law enforcement and community leaders to educate, and where necessary, enforce the orders issued by our Public Health Officer.
If the Sheriff can decide what he’ll do or not do in this regard, or any law or regulation he happens not to like, then the County of Sonoma and the public have no control, restraint or accountability over those who police them.
That is in essence a police state. Essick should go.
Will Shonbrun, Sonoma,
Enforcement of Public
We have all been doing a delicate dance on the head of a pin as we watch the impact of COVID-19 on our community – both with regard to infection as well as the impact on our economy.
I am hopeful we can continue
this journey in a reasonable and responsible manner, watching out for each other while putting the smallest number of people at risk. We are tired, scared and worried, but we are resilient and we must be vigilant. Rather than arguing about rules and orders, let’s keep the focus on saving lives.
Health Order
Unlike the fires and power outages, there seems to be no clear signal that will allow us to resume our lives. We are adjusting to new protocols as we continue to wait and slowly explore safe opportunities.
Jill Ravitch,
Sonoma County District Attorney
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LETTERS con’t on page 4
6/20 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 3