On Wednesday, two Sonoma County supervisors criticized the large marriages held during the pandemic and again called for stronger enforcement of public health orders, while lamenting the obstacles they say hamper the ability of county officials to impose sanctions on illicit nuptials.
Sites that repeatedly host weddings that violate COVID-19 health orders should be fined, said Lynda Hopkins, incoming chairman of the Board of Supervisors. The county will examine the potential for future weddings at a collection of restaurants, inns and event venues owned by a Sonoma company that allegedly hosted several weddings over the summer, a county spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
The call to intensify inspection of the Sonoma County wedding industry followed a report this month from the San Francisco Chronicle that the county did not issue fines or citations – and only three warnings – despite receiving 15 complaints about unmarried parties. incorporated in the county, including one that reportedly attracted up to 100 guests.
Marriages of more than 12 people have been banned in Sonoma County since June, part of a series of restrictions on public gatherings where COVID-19 can spread. Wedding ceremonies must be held outdoors, while receptions cannot be held anywhere in the state.
The county, rated for months as the worst in the bay area for containing the spread of coronavirus, has focused on voluntary compliance with health orders and educating offenders before taking more stringent measures.
Verifying allegations after an event has occurred is more difficult than taking preventive action against a planned meeting in the future, county officials said. And people who socialize at larger meetings that receive COVID-19 may be reluctant to admit their actions.
“They know this was wrong and are probably concerned with getting people in trouble,” said Hopkins.
Retroactive application is “much more difficult to do,” said Sonoma County public health officer Dr. Sundari Mase. “Certainly, you can ask the entity that supposedly hosted the event about this.”
Mase said on Wednesday that the issue of large weddings “did not attract the attention of the public health department”, but said that this type of meeting is among those that lead to the spread of COVID-19 and agreed with the supervisors’ more law enforcement: “It looks like it would certainly be appropriate at this point,” she said.
County data shows that marriages played a relatively small role in contributing to the local spread of COVID-19. Nine cases were definitely associated with a wedding that involved a large meeting, while the marriages were a possible, but not confirmed, source of exposure in seven other cases.
In total, the county has received 24 complaints about marriages since the pandemic began, according to data released Wednesday by county officials. Fifteen were in the county without legal personality, eight were in cities within the county and one occurred outside Sonoma County. Fourteen of the 24 complaints were received before October, when the county cited the organizer of a race event in Healdsburg, its one and only fine reported for a meeting that allegedly violated health orders.
The county authorized pandemic-related fines in early August. Commercial violations may be subject to civil penalties of $ 1,000, $ 5,000 or $ 10,000, depending on whether it is the first, second or third violation of the same party.
Supervisor Susan Gorin, who is leaving the council and whose district includes Sonoma Valley, a popular wedding destination, said she was “extremely disappointed that someone violated health regulations by providing space for wedding events.”
“It’s a shame when so many people are following the rules that we have one or more people breaking the rules,” said Gorin.
Gorin, who has repeatedly called for tougher enforcement of public health violations this year, reiterated that position in an interview on Wednesday afternoon. But she and Hopkins came to the defense of their code enforcement teams lamenting the challenge of verifying complaints after an event is reported to the county.
“We cannot issue a fine based on someone’s word or allegations,” said Hopkins. “It is not as simple as we are not following. Do we really have the evidence to support this? “
The Chronicle reported that four weddings, each with at least 22 guests, were hosted and attended this year by Sonoma’s Best Hospitality Group. The company, owned by Ken and Stacy Mattson, operates a number of restaurants, inns and popular locations, including Ramekins and Cornerstone Gardens. None seems to have occurred after the strict regional order to stay at home imposed this month, which banned virtually all social gatherings.