The SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT —
"[The] blog he developed was something that made the district better." - Tim Jemal, SOCCCD BoT President, 7/24/23
Colleges expected that fall would be close to normal. It’s not.
(Chronicle of Higher Ed)
…Earlier this summer, a return to some version of normalcy seemed within reach. But the first week back, it was clear that “normal” was still a long way off.
The same was true at colleges across the country, but the degree to which people acknowledged that reality varied widely. The Delta variant had driven up the number of hospitalizations nationwide to levels not seen since early February, before vaccines were widely available. Young people were now a greater share of the dying. Operating in person without the strictest safety protocols — vaccination mandates, indoor-mask requirements, social distancing — risked lives on campus and in the community. But many campus leaders, some of them limited by finances or state politics, pushed ahead with reopening plans. Zero risk is impossible, and leaders assured protesting faculty members that they were taking reasonable precautions…. (continue reading)
If I ever left my house without my walking stick Well it would be something I could never explain Oh the thing that makes me click, on lovers lane Would go for naught if I were caught without my cane.
These days, I walk with a cane, though not for long (I hope). Reminds me of the great Leon Redbone and those days when lots of us first "discovered" him. "Wow," we said. "What's with this guy?"
The OC Health Care Agency reported 1,524 new cases of the coronavirus from over the weekend, increasing the cumulative total since tracking began in the county to 285,098 as of Monday, Aug. 30.
There have been 9,134 new infections reported in the last 14 days.
There were 546 people with confirmed cases of the coronavirus reported in Orange County hospitals, 139 of whom needed to be in an intensive care unit.
There were 18 new deaths reported Monday, increasing the count of those who have died from the virus in Orange County to 5,220….
A new public cemetery is coming to Orange County to address the lack of burial space as more people purchase graves for future use.
Orange County’s public cemeteries are filling up, partly because of an uptick of people buying graves for future burials pushed by the pandemic, according to public cemetery officials.
Tim Deutsch, the cemetery district’s general manager said the pandemic has increasingly pushed people to buy grave spots for future use.
“In the past, there hadn’t really been a high percentage of our sales,” Deutsch said. “But this past year, we saw a dramatic shift in the efforts for families just to be prepared in the event of a loved one passing away and I think the pandemic actually put that on their radar.”….
Two of Orange County’s community college districts have joined the UC and Cal State systems in requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for students and employees.
Trustees for the Coast (including Coastline, Golden West and Orange Coast colleges) and the North Orange County (including Cypress and Fullerton colleges and North Orange Continuing Education) districts voted recently to mandate that faculty, staff and students attending on-campus classes show they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they get approval for a medical or religious exemption.
Those with exemptions will be required to take part in programs of regular testing that the districts are now developing, according to a news release from North OC and the Coast district’s website. Both districts also will continue to require face coverings for everyone, whether vaccinated or not, inside campus buildings.
The North Orange County district has set a deadline of Nov. 1 for students and workers to show proof of vaccination.
The mandate covers the district’s nearly 78,000 students as well as nearly 2,800 employees.
The Coast district, which has about 30,000 students and 2,000 employees, will share more details of its plans in coming weeks, Public Affairs Director Erik Fallis said Tuesday during an online briefing….
Texas governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order Wednesday barring any governmental entity from requiring vaccination against COVID-19.
Abbott, a Republican, previously issued an order in April that barred governmental entities, including public colleges, from requiring any COVID-19 vaccine approved under the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization process. The new order -- issued two days after the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer-manufactured vaccine -- prohibits governmental entities from requiring “any” COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of the mechanism of approval….
New report finds most first-year students struggled to learn when the pandemic moved
classes online -- in part because of limited access to technology and resources.
(Inside Higher Ed)
When the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a sudden shift to online learning in the middle of the 2019-20 school year, a majority of first-year college students faced academic challenges, and many had trouble accessing proper resources, a new report finds.
Two-thirds of first-year students struggled with online learning last year, according to a report released yesterday by ACT, the nonprofit organization that administers the college readiness exam. Additionally, one-third of first-year students reported frequent troubles with an unreliable computer and 21 percent said they had unpredictable or no access to the internet....
Attorneys representing a group of Arizona educators have filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to block four budget reconciliation bills that contain prohibitions on mask and vaccination mandates at public schools and universities.
The lawsuit was filed against the state of Arizona on Aug. 12, but the preliminary injunction is intended to get a ruling on the case before the laws go into effect Sept. 29, according to United Campus Workers of Arizona, which is supportive of the action….
Georgia State University fired an instructor who refused to teach in a classroom without a mask mandate.
(Inside Higher Ed)
Numerous professors already have resigned this semester over concerns about how their administrations are handling COVID-19. And while these faculty departures have happened under duress, they’ve still essentially been resignations.
Not so for Cody Luedtke, who was until last week a lab coordinator and instructor of life and earth sciences at Georgia State University: the institution fired her for refusing to teach in a classroom without a mask mandate in place....
Council members in the cities of San Clemente and Lake Forest both decided last week on how to spend their pandemic relief funds, with one city focusing on infrastructure improvements and another giving nearly two thirds of their funds back to local businesses.
The money in question comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, the chief federal bailout fund, sending nearly $700 million to Orange County cities and letting them decide how to help their communities.
The public spending decisions from both city councils stand in stark contrast to the OC Board of Supervisors, where much of the federal bailout money was spent without a public discussion.
The secret county spending drew the ire of local tax money watchdog groups.... [Continue reading]
A handful of professors gathered this week under the hot sun on a large grassy field at Clemson University. Propped up next to them were signs that read, “All In for Masks,” and, “A Mask Is a Small Ask.”
Kimberly Paul, an associate professor of genetics and biochemistry, had staged the demonstration. She had been galvanized by a tweet posted by James P. Clements, the university president, of the new-student convocation on August 13. In the photos, students are seated shoulder to shoulder, indoors, many of them maskless. Paul got angry. “I was like, That is it. The university is not taking this seriously.”
. . .
New coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in South Carolina were on the rise. Clemson hadn’t yet issued a mask mandate. The state’s attorney general had told the University of South Carolina that lawmakers had intended to ban such requirements, prompting the flagship to back off its mandate. But Paul wanted Clemson to “be brave,” push back, and “own their power in the state,” she said.
. . .
That tinder isn’t confined to Clemson. Faculty groups at colleges across the country are asking or demanding more protective measures be put in place. They worry about the Delta variant of the coronavirus, straggling vaccination rates in some states, and the fact that — though it’s rare — vaccinated people can catch and transmit the virus…. [continue reading]
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Irvine Barclay Theatre, South Coast Repertory will require proof of vaccination and enforce mask-wearing for upcoming performances.
Church and politics often mix. But Christian nationalism and conspiracy theories may be new elements in local sermons.
(OC Register)
Hotsenpiller
When GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia came to Southern California in July, three secular venues canceled her planned political rally over her support for far-right policies. So Pastor Tim Thompson handed Greene the microphone during a Sunday service at his 412 Church in Murrietta.
Consider also Phil Hotsenpiller, pastor of Influence Church in Anaheim Hills, who has launched a news network called American Faith. He told his congregation his journalists are “soldiers” and called for waging war against everything from big technology to mandated coronavirus safety measures to social justice — an idea that he said is “becoming our downfall.”
Then there’s Joe Pedick, pastor of Calvary Chapel of the Harbour in Huntington Beach. Four days after some of the rioters at the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol were seen carrying “Jesus Saves” signs, Pedick told his congregation that he’d been assured by trusted sources that “a lot of things” would happen before Joe Biden was sworn in as president on Jan. 20.
“There is a plan, there is (sic) things in place that are trying to turn this around,” Pedick said. “Justice is coming.”
. . .
Thompson
Leaders of some nondenominational churches in Southern California are using their pulpits to push hard for Trump-brand Republicanism. Some also are promoting conspiracy theories, such as false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. And some pastors are embracing the broad theory of Christian nationalism, which says America is defined as a Christian nation and must return to those roots.
“I am a Christian and we are a nation,” said Hotsenpiller, who regularly preaches in front of a large projected image of the American flag. “So, to be anything other than nationalist, I don’t understand.”
. . .
Churches get political
.In recent years, America has seen a surge of political activism from the pulpit.
A 2020 study by Duke University found that over the past two decades churches have stepped up everything from voter registration drives and political lobbying to letting candidates speak directly to the congregation.
This trend is not limited to one side of the political spectrum. The Duke study found Black churches, which tend to lean liberal, have grown more politically active than their conservative counterparts, with a surge around opposition to Trump’s anti-immigration laws.
A number of Southern California churches have a strong social justice focus. Many local pastors spoke out and even took to the streets in protest during last summer’s racial reckoning following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Religion and politics are so intertwined today that it is nearly impossible not to discuss politics in church, said Rev. Ralph E. Williamson, senior pastor of Christ Our Redeemer African Methodist Episcopal Church, a predominantly Black congregation in Irvine.
. . .
Pedick
As California gears up for a recall election that could potentially oust Gov. Gavin Newsom, Thompson has no problem acknowledging where he stands.
“What matters in this election is how we vote on the first question. I believe we should vote ‘yes’ on recalling (Newsom). And I’ve made that very clear to my congregation. Getting Newsom out should be our top priority.”
Thompson’s words might reflect the ire felt by some people frustrated with California’s aggressive moves to mandate masks and vaccines, and to limit public gatherings — including church gatherings — during peak times of the pandemic. White evangelical churches in particular battled the state to let church doors open.
Since the Bible does tell believers to “meet together,” conservative congregations mobilized around the idea that a Democratic leader, Newsom, was trying to force them to violate God’s word. That’s morphed into a battle by some churches to fight a variety of efforts to mitigate the virus.
But [Nancy Brink, an ordained minister and director of church relations at Chapman University in Orange] sees a clear difference between issues such as immigration and equality, and public health. In fact, she argues, refusing to take steps to reduce the spread of a sometimes fatal disease is not in line with scripture, which directs Christians to care for their neighbors and “submit… to the governing authorities.”
But during a sermon he gave at the start of the pandemic, Hotsenpiller — who is among a minority of religious leaders refusing to get vaccinated — equated anti-virus efforts with giving into fear. He talked about walking into a store while not wearing a mask and told his congregation that “corona” comes from the Latin word for “crown” and that fear of the virus means giving allegiance to “corona instead of God.”
Other right-leaning churches have pushed back against the Black Lives Matter movement and spoken out in opposition of public schools teaching students about systemic racism.
That racial element alarms Robert Jones, founder of the Public Religion Research Institute and author of a new book, “White Too Long,” which looks at the legacy of White supremacy in Christian churches.
In Jones’ view, pastors who push against equal rights for people of color under the guise of patriotism are promoting a mythical idea that true Americans are White and Christian. He said it’s not a coincidence that White Christian nationalism is taking off during a period when evangelical power is waning. White Christians, in fact, have become a minority, shrinking from 54% of the U.S. population in 2008 to 44% today.
Trump was able to capture that sense of “White grievance” in a way that blends conservative Christian faith with patriotism, said Brink, of Chapman. She pointed out how speakers at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference made a gold statue of Trump and how others have spoken about his return to office as a Christ-like second coming.
. . .
.
Extremism on display
Data suggests that White evangelical Christians account for a disproportionately high share of Trump’s political supporters. It’s the inverse of Black church support for Obama.
But White evangelicals also are more likely than others to believe QAnon conspiracy theories, polls show, including the false theory that Democrats are Satan-worshipping pedophiles who operate a global child-trafficking ring.
And Jones, among others, said it’s not hard to see a link between Christians who hold such views and the Jan. 6 insurrection.
.One Orange County man arrested for allegedly playing a role in the Capitol attack has clear church ties: Glenn Allen Brooks. His arrest came after a member of a prayer group from his Huntington Beach church tipped off the FBI. Brooks and his attorney didn’t respond to requests to comment.
One driver of the Jan. 6 attack was the false claim — launched by Trump and his supporters — that he actually won the 2020 election. Some area pastors have helped to spread that falsehood.
Pedick, senior pastor at Calvary Chapel of the Harbour, was a scheduled speaker during a December “Stop the Steal” rally put on by O.C. residents Alan Hostetter and Russ Taylor, both of whom have since been indicted for their alleged roles on Jan. 6. During the December rally, Hostetter made claims about a rigged presidential election. He also said “execution is the just punishment for the ringleaders of this coup.”
Pedick declined repeated requests to comment.
Lindell
Last month, Hotsenpiller’s church hosted a Reawaken America Tour that featured a speech from My Pillow founder Mike Lindell, an outspoken Trump supporter who insists God will help overturn Biden’s election.
It’s common for some local pastors to invoke military language and suggest violence as they discuss these issues.
Last year, during a speech outside the Riverside County Administrative Center, Thompson told pastors to “man up” and “get back to what we saw in the Revolutionary War.” He referenced the Black Robe Regiment, which he describes as pro-independence pastors who, after giving a sermon, would fold their black robes back to show that “their gun belts were on underneath, ready to go to work.”
Thompson also holds up three fingers as he references the “3%,” repeating a false claim that only 3% of the population fought the British during the Revolutionary War. He’s been seen on social media sporting a patch affiliated with the “Three Percenters,” a known anti-government extremist group
However, when asked about that speech, Thompson said he’s not a member of the Three Percenters. He wore their patch, he said, because he considers himself among the 3% of pastors in the country “who actually has the courage to preach the Gospel.”
. . .
Williamson
Pastors have First Amendment rights just like everyone else, noted Eugene Volokh, a UCLA law professor who specializes in separation of church and state. But some political activism by local churches might violate the Johnson Amendment, an unevenly enforced 67-year-old provision in the U.S. tax code that prohibits religious organizations and all other nonprofits from using their resources to endorse or oppose political candidates.
Opponents of the Johnson Amendment claim the restrictions have a chilling effect on religious organizations’ right to free speech. But Gregory Magarian, professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, said it serves as an important dividing line between religious institutions and core, candidate-focused political activity.
“There has been a lot of mixing between religion and political advocacy,” Magarian said. “The Johnson Amendment serves as a boundary, which prevents that from going further. It also prevents candidates from putting pressure on religious institutions to endorse them.”
Trump famously claimed during his 2016 campaign and after taking office that he’d “totally destroy” the Johnson Amendment. He later signed an executive order directing the Treasury Department to not take “adverse action” against churches for engaging in political speech. But any changes to the tax code would have to come from Congress, and an IRS spokesman said this month that the agency continues to “administer the law as written.”
That said, the Johnson Amendment has never been consistently enforced. And when it is, the result can be problematic for both the church and the IRS….
Washington State governor Jay Inslee ordered all employees at the state’s public colleges to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the Associated Press reported.
Inslee’s office said the mandate applies to coaches, including the Washington State University head football coach, Nick Rolovich, who said he has declined to be vaccinated for personal reasons....
The rise of the Delta variant has upended previous optimistic projections of herd immunity and a return to normal life, with many health experts believing mask mandates and tougher vaccine requirements will be needed in the coming months to avoid more serious coronavirus surges....
California State University students are failing or withdrawing at high rates from many courses — including chemistry, calculus, English and U.S. history — prompting renewed efforts for systemwide reform....
Amid worsening COVID-19 outbreaks and a rash of new vaccine requirements, a Los Angeles County school district is believed to be the first in the state to announce it will require eligible students to prove they’ve had the shots. They may soon have company....
The California Supreme Court declined on Wednesday to hear the Orange County Board of Education’s petition seeking to overturn Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide mask mandate for K-12 students....
As colleges look toward the fall semester, they’re grappling with whether to require — or just strongly encourage — students to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Below is a map showing the locations of colleges that are requiring vaccines of at least some students or employees. The states are color-coded based on how each voted in the 2020 presidential election. That’s followed by a graphic showing the pace at which campuses have made their announcements. Institutions that have said their requirement hinges upon full approval of one or more vaccines by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are included in this list. Below that is a searchable list of those campuses.
The Chronicle has so far identified 742 such campuses....
Anti-war protesters in Laguna Beach, 1962 (likely in reaction to the Cuban Missile Crisis). Found this at the Orange Public Library
Four people stand in a cell behind barred doors, two men and two women.
First jail in Orange County, located in the basement of Joseph Hilbrunner's Santa Ana Jewelry Store.
OC Public Library (1930?)
A group of Youngstown State University professors protested on campus Friday, objecting to the institution's lack of vaccine or mask mandate.
"Masks on. Masks on," Michelle Nelson, a professor of graphic design, told WKBN. "That's all I'm asking for. I'm asking for myself, I'm asking for my son, I'm asking for everyone that I teach with who comes home to somebody who has a child who can't be vaccinated.
Mark Vopat, professor of philosophy and spokesperson for the university's faculty union, which is affiliated with the National Education Association, said in a statement that faculty members "are committed to a safe return to classes under the safest conditions possible for ourselves and our students," and request that the university follow "a science-based approach that will ensure the health and welfare of our students, staff, faculty and the entire Youngstown community."
Ron Cole, university spokesperson, said that administrators are talking with local health officials and considering guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control. Students and staff are also being surveyed about vaccines and campus protocols, he said. Classes start in two weeks.
The Maine Community College System announced Thursday it is requiring COVID vaccinations for all students. Students will now be required to show proof that they have received at least one dose of a vaccine before the first day of classes on Aug. 30, and proof of a second vaccine shot 30 days after the start of classes.
Stanford University will require students to be tested weekly for COVID-19 -- even if they have been vaccinated. (The vast majority of students have been vaccinated under a university rule.)
An email to students Wednesday said that the new rule applies to "students living on campus, living in university provided off-campus student housing, or coming to campus, regardless of vaccination status."
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, without comment, turned down an appeal of a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruling denying an injunction against an Indiana University rule requiring all students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Writing for a three-judge panel on the Seventh Circuit, Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote, "People who do not want to be vaccinated may go elsewhere. Many universities require vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, but many others do not. Plaintiffs have ample educational opportunities."
Eight students sued seeking the injunction.
Justice Barrett handles appeals from the Seventh Circuit.
* * *
Communication to employees by SOCCCD Chancellor on Wednesday (the 11th):
Greetings SOCCCD Employees:
In light of the increase in COVID cases and the trend in positivity rates of the Delta variant—SOCCCD will delay the full return to worksites until some metrics have improved county-wide.
I have asked the leadership at both colleges to phase in some of their original fall return-to-campus plans more slowly until our county data improves and the metrics fall to a daily case rate of fewer than 10 per 100,000 on a seven (7) day average throughout Orange County. Additionally, we will look for a positivity rate of less than five percent (5%) county-wide on a seven (7) day average. We expect that these metrics will be met sometime in late September/early October 2021. Updates will be provided as necessary to ensure that you are informed about plans to return to onsite work districtwide.
I understand that last minute changes in plans can be unsettling, but we continue to be flexible and to respond to the changes in the data as it impacts the health and safety of all who learn and work with us....
[I've deleted some details.]
Thank you for your time and patience and please alert us of any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Kathleen F. Burke, Ed.D.
Chancellor
NOTE: thus far, the SOCCCD district/colleges have not mandated vaccines for students or faculty, though the district is contemplating a $1000 incentive program for employees.
On the 11th, I received this remarkable message from the district (the VC, Human Resources):
Colleagues, SOCCCD is pleased to announce a new vaccination incentive program for District employees that will be recommended to the SOCCCD Board of Trustees for approval at the August 23, 2021 Board Meeting. Employees who meet specific eligibility requirements will receive $1,000 (gross—per employee) if they produce verifiable evidence of vaccination. Eligible employees will be required to be currently employed on September 1, 2021 (see additional criteria below for PT faculty who will be working in spring 2022 only).
Vaccination records shall be subject to verification through the California database. It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure that the State of California has the correct information related to the verification of your vaccination record. Unverified records will be deemed ineligible for the incentive, shall be fully investigated, and disciplinary action may be initiated if an employee is discovered to have submitted fraudulent/forged records….
Rebel Girl called a couple of days ago and urged me to check out the video of the last meeting of the Orange County BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, which, as you know, can be mighty wild these days, what with all the red-neckery out there.
So I did. Here are some of the highlights (er, lowlights):
Things heat up for item 40A at about 57 minutes in:
S40A. Chairman Do and Supervisor Wagner - Allocate $20 million exclusively for site development of Veterans portion of Mountain Park Cemetery, Anaheim
The issue concerns the establishment of an OC Veterans’ Cemetery. For some time, the City of Irvine played around with the idea of including such a facility as part of the so-called “Great Park” (you’ll recall that, for several years, Don Wagner was Irvine’s mayor) but that kept coming to grief (the “quagmire of Irvine”). Eventually, to get the project moving forward, another location was proposed—in a portion of Mountain Park Cemetery, Anaheim. Item 40A is that effort. Wagner supports it, as does chairman Andrew Do.
At 1:08, one of the supporters of the “Irvine” proposal insists on speaking past his 1 minute limit, and chairman Do gets the deputies involved to remove the guy. Check it out. “Your time is up,” declares Do.
1:12 “your microphone is off now”
Supe Don Wagner
1:15 Wagner “takes the lead” in defending his item 40A. He explains why the pro-Veterans’ Cemetery idea has become the pro-40A idea. The idea of locating the cemetery in Irvine is dead and gone. Deal with it.
Things heat up again for item 38 [2:20:46]:
38. Approve proposed response to FY 2020-21 Grand Jury Report "Orange County Pandemic Preparedness."
There’s 1 speaker request, someone named Bridget. She starts to speak, but Supervisor Katrina Foley objects to something, not sure what [2:21:12]. All of a sudden, Bridget is replaced at the podium with another person:
Go to 2:21:37
The "Boat Guy"
This person—whom Peggy Hall, sitting immediately behind the speaker stand, really seems to like—is angry. First, this fella (and/or gal) suggests that Do is silencing speakers he doesn’t want to hear from. He yells, “Shame on you! I don’t care that you came over [from Vietnam] in a boat! [Do is a Republican, no Communist.] You came over on a boat from a COMMUNIST COUNTRY [and] you ain’t gonna make this a COMMUNIST COUNTY, Mr. Chairman!” [The crowd loves it.]Then he objects to Do’s action of reducing public comment time to 30 seconds[?]. [Actually, faced with a large number of speakers, Do reduced it to 60 seconds.] “You need to hear from the public!” Boat Man insists. He notes, too, that the board keeps violating the Brown act. “Shame on you,” he yells (I'll stick with "he").
Wow.
Item passes.
They move on to item 39.
Foley interrupts [2:23:12]: In all the “chaos,” Supervisor Foley was not able to discuss the merits of item 38.
They return to it.
Supe Katrina Foley
Katrina Foley, the newest member and a Democrat, has distinguished herself by pushing for greater safety measures in response to the pandemic, and that has produced considerable push-back from the usual suspects, who have even gathered outside her home in protest.
Here, she mentions some problems in the verbiage of the item.
The next HOT item is 40G [2:32:28]:
S40G. County Executive Office and Sheriff-Coroner - Approve revised mutual aid agreement for COVID-19 vaccination effort; authorize Director of Emergency Management Division to execute agreements with partner agencies; and authorize Auditor-Controller to make related payments and reimburse….
2:33 - the natives are restless. Foley objects to “disruption in the chamber,” which, she says, is
“unacceptable.”
Item 40G: public comments [42 requests]
Chairman Do calls for order. The crowd quiets down a bit. There’s some confusion about the first speaker.
2:34:47 The first speaker: “You are making a mistake,” says Angie. “Depart from evil,” she says.
(Peggy Hall can be seen seated immediately behind her.) Angie ends by quoting scripture
2:36:22 Next guy: Native American (?) does not want “experimentation” on people via vaccines. Refers to blankets laced with smallpox.
Next guy: It’s an “agenda of coercion,” he says. Going to people’s homes and twisting their arms. Informed consent is not being given.
The "Boat Guy" addresses the board
Next speaker: there’s a risk in everything. I’m not against vaccines; I’m against mandating them. Those who oppose the mandates are not like “drunk drivers,” the Governor’s analogy. Mentions “internment camps.”
2:40:06 This person is identified as “Rick W”: he compares the current government with the government of Nazi Germany. “Mr. Do, you’re from Vietnam. And I almost was drafted to go over there and fight for your people, and it blows me away how you’re over here dictating all this….! …You’re headed down the same things Hitler was doing…”
2:40 The speaker refers to "ludicrous" mandates in schools “and you support them!” As he walks away, he mutters: “you guys suck.”
2:42:26 How would you like to be on the list to be killed! Recall, recall, recall! We don’t want to be killed! [Peggy applauds.] “We want you to listen to common sense instead of the CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY!”
[Much whooping.]
2:43:38 My wife and I got Covid but my son never got sick. How come? Why should he have to get the vaccine?
2:44:52 Reads from some deposition, but it never becomes clear how any of it is relevant. Something about Covid being a “biological weapon.”
2:46:13 The vaccine is experimental. “This is all false data…”
Saddleback College's Peggy Hall: "frauds, fakes, and phonies."
2:47:27 Saddleback College’s own PEGGY HALL speaks: “This board is required to follow the law.” Cites the definition of an “emergency.” “There is no emergency.” “You are all frauds, fakes, and phonies.” Violation of the Brown Act. I’m gonna pray for you. “Wagner, your behavior is so unbecoming; it’s very embarrassing for you.”
2:48:50 Everyone waits for an old man to shuffle up to the podium. [It's like a scene from Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In] The Covid vaccine effort is a clear threat to our speech and freedom.” We did not consent to using tax dollars to be bullied. “God bless America!” [Whooping crowd.] Peggy applauds.
2:49:50 Emma Clark: “Americans were against World War II, until FDR tricked Japan into bombing Pearl Harbor.” [!] Americans went to war because our way of life was being threatened. “With the Covid-19 vaccine agenda, it is being threatened.” Where is the evidence of an actual health emergency? She ends with: “The 1st Amendment is first for a reason; and the second is just in case the first doesn’t work. Your time is up.”
[Much whooping.]
2:50:56 “Good day, Board of COMMUNISTS.” “These [he refers to board members] are bought and paid-for politicians; there’s somebody who funded them, put them in their seats; they answer to somebody else…. They’re passing forth an agenda.” They won’t speak with us and can’t answer our questions and concerns. [We see Peggy clutching her little dog in the background.] No evidence of health emergency.
[The crowd gets rowdy.]
2:52:10 Show me the evidence! No evidence of an emergency! [Peggy clutches her little dog.] This is really a “cash cow.” “Medical apartheid.”
2:53:20 The original “BOAT” guy is back. We should beware of the “medical industrial complex,” he says. These people the County wants to hire are protected from litigation. “That’s what they’re not telling you, people!” “This is Homeland Security run a-blanking-mok.” “Are you blanking-kidding me?” “You’re not gonna be able to go to church, the gym, Costco without showing …– it’s a hidden agenda!”
Chairman Andrew Do
2:54:31 Tyler: “All you parasites have blood on your hands for pushing these vaccine passports!” They’re committing fraud. In fact, the guy who “created PCR” “died mysteriously two months before Wuhan” because he exposed Fauci. [Peggy nods approvingly.] He refers to “you parasitic clowns!” “Mr. Do, what’s going on in your country, Vietnam, is 4,000 little kids who are in quarantine camps away from their parents because of this fake scamdemic, and you come to MY COUNTRY and you act like one of these COMMUNIST PARASITES; I ask you to go the fuck back to VIETNAM!
2:55:46 Middle-aged German woman speaks. There are people forced to take vaccine in Germany, she says. They get sick!
Julie: vote no on G. So proud to be part of this group. People should be taking vitamins. You should offer free classes for exercise!
Myrna: Mr Do, you are so rude. Terminate the state of emergency now. There is no emergency. Immoral. Blood money.
Woman: Stop the funding for vaccine, the door-to-door jab! Fraud! Never mind the facts; you’ve made up your minds. There is a god. Don’t you ever forget that! You will be held accountable!
3:01:05 Woman: attributes her daughter’s suicidal tendencies to the vaccine effort. Scamdemic! “This is our hill to die on.” We will fight tooth, nail, and gunpoint to make sure our children are no longer harmed by masks and…forced vaccinations. So, board of paid propaganda, know this: you better hope that you’re willing to go all the way with blood on your hands because I am.”
3:02:10 I want to comment on the surveillance being proposed. Implemented in Communist China. “Repent or you’ll die. In Jesus’ name!” (Peggy really liked that).
3:03:16 Woman: there’s a lot of anger. You have become our enemies.
3:04:35 Man: opposes door-to-door vaccine services, a form of coercion. No informed consent.
3:05:11 Young woman: I am firmly oppose to this item. The vaccine is experimental. President Do, “why are you bringing communism to OC?” “My generation sees the communism coming!...We [young people] are going to do whatever it takes to fight against this.”
Woman, Laura D.: Immunization agenda. A tracking system.
Woman: we the people do not consent! You’re all corrupt, complicit
Man, Edwin C.: Where is the state of emergency?
.
Woman: I pray for you. You are coercing people to take gene therapy. You should accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. You are enforcing this emergency. Turn away from evil. (Peggy likes that.)
3:12:12 Michael Adam: drove all night to be here. “I haven’t slept in two days.” “This is an evil world mafia that’s going on right now with this Covid. Absolutely.” “You’re being used as puppets.” (Peggy nods.) “Mr. Do, they’re dong nasty things in Vietnam because they’re under Communist control over there, and YOU KNOW IT, TOO.”
[Much whooping.]
Woman: nothing can be mandated. Not masks, shots.
(No further speakers.)
Golly. Supervisor Don Wagner speaks:
[3:14:54] He questions some assumptions made by many of the speakers: that sheriffs will be coming to knock on doors? Nah, no such thing is planned. Enforcement of mask-wearing?, cops going door to door? Nope. None of that is involved here.
And so the item is not opposed by any board member. The item passes.
The BOAT GUY, returns, discussing litigation against the County government. “You committed fraud!” he roars.
Christian M: a member of IBEW electrical union has a beef about something.
Woman: You’re rude [Mr. Do]. It's wrong what you’re doing to speakers, discouraging people from coming here. What are you hiding?
Ann: she’s here about the Dana Point harbor issue.
Woman: my daughter hasn’t committed suicide. Addresses Wagner. Trying to understand [County Health Officer] Clayton Chau. Parents are told students must be masked. They’re hands are tied!
Woman: back to that tedious deposition.
Woman: another boat owner about Dana Point harbor fee increases.
Man: Dana Point harbor, unfair increase in rates
Woman: something about concentration camps. Legal grounds for state of emergency. Fauci will be criminally charged. We will not leave you off the hook! Chau is next. Fraud, corruption!
Man: Dana Point issue again
Man: addresses Cho, Bartlett. We need a public audit on slip rents. Where is this money going?
A person named Kelly: vaccine coerced on citizens. Experimental vaccines.
Woman: More on Dana Point.
Kim S (the native American dude): “last time I was here, when I left, I was followed.” He mentions the Chinese. He doesn’t like Foley.
Man: slip increases, Dana Point
(At this point, all speaker names have been called:)
Man comes up, asks: why are we only allowed 1 minute, not 3? Do: Too many speakers is why. The speaker seems utterly perplexed. Do is impatient.
Rene M: young man objects to masks at school. Difficult to breath, learn.
Young boy: 7th grader. Masks are hurting students.
Another kid: wearing masks makes me stressed, …
Do: [to all speakers:] we appreciate your speaking. He notes that, contrary to many speakers, face cover policy comes from school districts, not from the board.
Another woman: her name was called previously but she didn’t show up. [Standard board policy is, if you don't come up when called, you've lost your chance to speak.]
Do: asks about commotion in the back of the hall. “Did you submit a slip?” No. “I can only call what I have.”
Asks woman to sit down. Chairman Do waits for designated speaker to speak. Deputies called in to enforce his orders.
[24: 20]
Do seems discombobulated. He says that people are making asses of themselves
25:19 Woman finally speaks: physical therapist. Human-monkey hybrids created by Chinese/US. That’s science for you. I follow Jesus, not science.
Do: Wagner asks to speak, he does
26:49 WAGNER: A couple of comments. First, masks in schools: that’s not in our control. Wish it was.
2nd, owing to paperwork errors or whatnot, a couple of speakers were not able to speak. So I’ve decided to cede my time to them.
"Go the fuck back to Vietnam!"
Do: I see one [speaker].
OK.
Woman speaks.
[27:40]
Mr. Do, two weeks ago, you spoke in support of masks, etc. Two days later, you appeared at GOP function without a mask, no social distancing. You seem confused. Mr. Wagner, will sheriffs be knocking on people’s doors?
So that’s the last of it.
Do is miffed. He says to Wagner: “This is what you ceded your time for.”
...Do is an outspoken critic of communism and perhaps the best-known Vietnamese American leader in Southern California. Some critics say his measures to combat COVID have not been aggressive enough compared to neighboring Los Angeles County, and they find it ironic that anti-vaccine activists are focused on him.
"I think most people look at Andrew Do and say he's certainly not at the vanguard of some of these efforts to limit COVID," [State Sen. Dave] Min said....
... Two years ago, Do, a Republican, publicly pushed back against language President Trump used calling on four non-white U.S. congresswomen to “go back” to their countries.
Do called such language “bigotry” and related it to “hatred” he said led to assaults against his family when he was growing up as a Vietnamese refugee in Orange County. His family immigrated after South Vietnam fell to North Vietnam in 1975....
...When COVID-19 vaccines were on the agenda last week at an Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting, anti-vaccination protestors came with their typical slop trough of panic, misinformation, Nazi comparisons, conspiracy theories and even a few not-so-veiled death threats.
But one person, dressed in all black with dark shades and a stocking hat and calling himself “Tyler Durden,” decided misinformation, a conspiracy about a “mysterious” death and corny quips like “scamdemic” were not enough and took to hurling racist insults at the board president, Supervisor Andrew Do....
