'It's Disconcerting': Sacramento County Supervisors Walk Out Of Board Meeting After Heated Exchange Over Mask-Wearing
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – With exactly one week to go until California's official reopening, anticipation grows and so does mask-wearing frustration.
Two Sacramento County Supervisors walked out of Tuesday's board meeting after a heated exchange over face coverings. While we may be only seven days away from the state's official reopening, restrictions are still in place. Some county leaders aren't willing to watch people disobey health orders when they're the ones preaching them.
"It's disconcerting to look out in the audience and see so many people flagrantly ignoring the requirements," said Supervisor Patrick Kennedy during the meeting.
Kennedy was not mincing words in his disappointment and even frustration at people not wearing masks at the county board meeting.
"I don't care if you're in the public chambers, at the bus, or if you're at the French Laundry. You wear a mask," continued Kennedy.
Kennedy later told CBS13, "I couldn't just sit idly by and with good conscience not do something about it."
He called it a "thumbing of the nose at public health officials," which prompted him to go as far as walking out of the meeting.
"I feel passionately that we as leaders of this community have to follow our own rules, so after the consent calendar I will be removing myself to go upstairs," Kennedy said as he began to leave the meeting.
Kennedy opted to finish the meeting from his office and Supervisor Phil Serna followed suit.
"When we, the county, are setting the rules for others we need to follow those rules too. We simply cannot preach water and drink wine," Kennedy told CBS13.
The heated exchange led to raised voices between Kennedy and members in the audience, even as the state is just days away from seeing fewer masks anyway as it reopens.
"People are going to judge me how they're going to judge me. I did what I felt was right. I followed my conscience and made what I thought was a principled decision," Kennedy told CBS13.
Although Kennedy and Serna opted to finish out the rest of the board meeting virtually from their offices, they did continue voting on issues.
