Santa Cruz Co. Health Officer Faces Threats, Harassment: Report

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel has been subject to threats, harassment and the vitriol of a frustrated community in recent months as she seeks to quell the spread of the coronavirus pandemic through a series of local orders and enforcement actions, according to a University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism report that appeared Monday in the New York Times.

Newel is not alone. Health officers across the state have faced blistering personal attacks as a result of their professional work implementing restrictions, such as enacting mask orders or calling on businesses to close their doors.

Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart asked Newel to stop attending in-person public meetings after a community member aggressively approached her, causing another county official to evacuate the room, according to the UCBSOJ report.

She's been called a "Nazi," "freedom trampler" and "murderer," according to the report. When cases began to spike in June, a community member said they would be "coming for" her if any of their loved ones died.

Elsewhere, the ugly backlash has led to resignations. Former Santa Barbara County Health Officer Dr. Charity Dean resigned June 4, as CNBC reported.

Days later, Orange County Chief Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick resigned after receiving death threats in response to her order mandating the use of face masks in public, as Calmatters reported. At an Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting, anti-vaccination attorney Leigh Dundras publicly shared Quick's home address, named her boyfriend, called for her resignation and said she would stage a protest on her doorstep.

She was assigned a security detail and eventually rescinded her mask order after dealing with mounting public frustration, Calmatters reported.

A Northern California public health official who asked to remain anonymous out of a concern for their safety said they felt as if nowhere was safe after receiving death threats and having protesters approach their home, Calmatters reported.

But in spite of it all, Newel told UCBSOJ she feels like "the right person in the right place at the right time to do this job."

Read more at the New York Times and Calmatters.