A California sheriff has issued a white-hot response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s latest lockdown order in which he threatens to defund counties that don’t abide by his diktats.
Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco says he won’t be cracking heads for breaking Newsom’s “flat-out ridiculous,” “hypocritical,” and “disastrous” lockdown orders.
Bianco released a video on Friday (see it below) in which he took apart the governor’s threatened three-week lockdown, which will go into effect in one of California’s five regions if that region’s hospitals fall below 15% ICU capacity.
He calls the standards that the governor plans to use in order to shut down California “unbelievably faulty.”
The metrics used for closures are unbelievably faulty and are not representative of true numbers and are disastrous for Riverside County.
If the lockdown goes into effect, “non-essential” travel will be temporarily banned. KTLA reports Newsom “is establishing a framework where non-essential travel would be temporarily restricted statewide.”
Also set to be closed are:
- Eating at restaurants
- Camping sites
- Playgrounds
- Salons and barbershops
- Museums, zoos, aquariums
- Theaters
- Places where alcohol is served
- Betting places such as card rooms and satellite wagering
Churches, hotels, malls, and businesses can be open but with fewer to no people. Sports events can go on without fans.
Bianco said he’s not changing what he’s already been doing in Riverside County.
As has been our position from the beginning of this pandemic, the Sheriff’s Department is asking and expecting Riverside County residents to act responsibly and do what they can to protect themselves and their family from contracting the virus.
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And he’s tired of Newsom’s “dictatorial attitude” and hypocrisy.
The dictatorial attitude toward California residents while dining in luxury, traveling, keeping his business open and sending his kids to in-person private schools is very telling about his attitude toward California residents, his feelings about the virus, and it is extremely hypocritical.
But it’s the sheriff’s comments about Newsom’s threat to defund the counties that may leave a shiv mark in the governor’s back. Bianco calmly laid out how Newsom’s actions are just like those of the man he claims to abhor: President Trump.
We were also told that there was a potential to withhold federal and state funding from counties that did not enforce the order. Ironically, it wasn’t that long ago our same governor publicly argued how wrong it was for the president of the United States to withhold federal funding from states not complying with federal laws.
[…] It appears part of the goal is to shift focus and attention away from his and others’ personal behavior with a “do as I say, not as I do” attitude by turning public opinion against California sheriffs. He is expecting us to arrest anyone violating these orders, cite them and take their money, close their businesses, make them stay in their home, and take away their civil liberties or he will punish all of us. I believe that all jobs are essential to someone. Leaders do not threaten, attempt to intimidate, or cause fear; bullies do. As has been our position from the start.
California’s sheriffs, who are elected, have largely abandoned enforcement of anything but the most egregious and flagrant violations of the governor’s COVID-19 rules, such as this huge party in LA County.
TONIGHT: We were at another massive underground party in #Palmdale this wknd when @LASDHQ showed up and broke it up, arresting 158 people in the process. Sheriff Villanueva pledged last week to focus his enforcement on “super spreader events” instead of businesses. 10pm @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/WzucCBW2og
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 8, 2020
The Orange County and LA County sheriffs have both said they won’t go out of their way to bust the chops of coronavirus scofflaws, either, saying they’ll rely on “educating” people instead.
The governor seems to think he’s smart enough to safely navigate life in the pandemic, such as eating at a restaurant with no masks and social distancing, but considers everyone else too stupid to do what’s in their best interest.
Governor Newsom might have to do a gut-check on how his rules are being perceived and followed. For starters, he might want to look behind him to see who’s following. If you’re the leader and no one is following, are you a leader anymore?