In an announcement Thursday afternoon, May 28, the city of Healdsburg affirmed its continued enforcement of Sonoma County’s health order. The message came on the heels of Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick’s announcement that the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) would be halting its enforcement of the order on June 1.
“We would like to make it clear that the city of Healdsburg will continue to follow the lawful health orders by the Sonoma County Public Health Officer. As such, our police department will first issue warnings if people don’t comply with the local orders,” the city’s announcement states. “If they continue to refuse, then we will issue citations. If a business decides to re-open when it’s still not allowed to do so under the current county health order — and won’t comply when advised — we will issue a citation. If the business still doesn’t comply, we will consider shutting off electricity.”
In a March interview with the Tribune, Healdsburg Police Department chief Kevin Burke said that the department, like many others in the county, planned to take an educational approach to enforcing the order.
Essick announced on May 28, and affirmed on May 29, that beginning June 1 the SCSO would no longer enforce the county’s health order, citing a lack of transparency and engagement from both the Sonoma County Department of Public Health and Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase.
“This lack of transparency and lack of engagement is incredibly disappointing at a time when all levels of government should be working together,” Essick wrote in an announcement on the SCSO Facebook page. “As your elected sheriff, I can no longer in good conscience continue to enforce Sonoma County Public Health Orders, without explanation, that criminalize otherwise lawful business and personal behavior.”
“Reports of violations, when brought to our attention, will be evaluated against the California state guidelines on a case-by-case basis. Where appropriate, the Sheriff’s Office will use public interactions as an opportunity to educate people on how to mitigate the risk and spread of the COVID-19 infection,” Essick said. “Pursuant to this shift in policy, I am directing the Sheriff’s Office Detention Division to refuse the booking arrest of individuals whose sole booking charge is for a violation of the Sonoma County Public Health Order. It is important to understand my decision does not affect enforcement policy or enforcement decisions by other law enforcement or regulatory agencies in Sonoma County; it applies to Sheriff’s Office operations in the jurisdictions we serve.”
The announcement from the city noted that Healdsburg has largely been compliant with the health order.
“Outside of a handful of instances, folks here in Healdsburg have largely complied with the county’s health orders, and we greatly appreciate that,” the announcement states. “We understand that this is a difficult time, but we are in this together. Thank you for your continued compliance with the county’s health orders.”
