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April 30, 2020

Gavin Newsom, beach cop taking on all California

By Monica Showalter

Like Mrs. Grundy making the entire class stay after school because of something Reggie and Veronica did, California's Gov. Gavin Newsom is shutting down the beaches, just as the entire population of California goes stir-crazy and the sunniest weekend of the year beckons.

According to CNN, which actually did a good report:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom intends to order the closure of all state beaches and parks starting Friday, according to a copy of a memo provided to CNN by a senior law enforcement official.
"We wanted to give all of our members a heads up about this in order to provide time for you to plan for any situations you might expect as a result, knowing each community has its own dynamics," the memo says.
The closures are expected to be announced Thursday, and state park personnel will help in local efforts to close the sites, the memo said.
Newsom's office did not respond to CNN's request for comment.
Good luck with that one. Notice the reflexive call to a use of force, too -- "any situations you might expect as a result." Unless city officials intend to deploy every police officer to politicing the beaches, it's very unlikely to be the sort of order that's going to work.
 
Already there are signs the order will never be heeded. The opening of the beaches, about a week ago, was brought on by public pressure to open the public space, and that's just for starters. 
 
The surfer enclaves of Encinitas and Huntington Beach have already seen fierce protests and calls to end the lockdown. Surfer after surfer had been hunted down by beach cops for paddling out to shore, prompting scenes like this a few days ago, reeking of hypocrisy - notice how the cops aren't socially distancing, yet they're arresting and charging a man for swimming in the open ocean in violation of social distancing. What's wrong with this picture?

 

 

The intensity with which the surfers feel about their lifestyle and their willingness to defend it against people who would put a stop to it is very much an indicator that there's no 'consent of the governed' in this Newsom order. Telling surfers they can't practice their lifestyle is like telling gay people they can't be gay - it's not going to work.

Here's another thing: It's viewed as counterproductive. Sunlight is the best disinfectant and the more people can be encouraged to go outdoors instead of stay cooped up in recycling air housing units, (same as a cruise ship), the less there will be of the coronavirus. Viruses tend to go away in hot weather, so ordering everyone off the beach is going to generate more, not fewer, coronavirus cases.

It's also odd stuff for a district that hasn't been all that hard-hit. Southern California in fact has 'flattened the curve' on new cases and as Laura Ingraham notes below, has had only 51 deaths per million in the state, most in the Bay Area. The Newsom order puts the northern California urban straitjacket on spread-out Southern California with fewer cases, given its sunshine and detached single unit homes.

Cheryl Chumley at the Washington Times thinks the order is so out of order the beachgoers ought to just storm the beaches in defiance of the Newsom orders. That might just happen.

And in reality, based on the pictures - are the people really not socially distancing? When you discount for family units, it's actually looks as though they are, I see at least six feet between visitor groups in this crowded beach picture below, something that has escaped Newsom who can only see a lot of people enjoying themselves and wants it stopped.

 

 

Some on Twitter have noted a political component, too - Newport Beach, which had the beach scenes that so incensed Newsom, just happens to be one of the few remaining solid red conservative enclaves in SoCal. Was Newsom really incensed about the social distancing, or was he maddest about the area being right-wing with people  who were enjoying themselves?
 
It's petty tyranny. People still crowd at Walmart and Costco for goods, raising questions as to why they can't spread out on a hot beach. Newsom, though, seems to enjoy his moment in the coronavirus sun and therefore appears intent on extending the misery for misery's sake. Why does he do it? Because he's convinced he's secure in power in his solidblye state. He may be sadly mistaken, because this is not going to work. One only hopes he's opened a big can of whoopass for his party with this stupidity.
 
 
 
Photo Illustration by Monica Showalter with use of KindPNG public domain image.

 

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