The January 8-10 Re-Open Cal Now Public Policy Conference would not have happened without the vision and commitment of California County Supervisors who chose to go against the grain of conventional wisdom.

Don Wagner is the District 3 Supervisor in Orange County who saw that more answers, proper science, and an inclusion, rather than exclusion, of local and regional elected officials was needed in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in California and to safely re-open the State. Wagner speaks more about this in his opening remarks at the conference on Friday, January 8.

Jeff Hewitt is the District 5 Supervisor in Riverside County whom Supervisor Wagner asked to come on as co-organizer. I was able to do a brief interview with him where he explained why he felt this conference was needed, and how he wanted to bring back knowledge to Riverside County to see it safely re-open.

Sue Frost is the District 4 Supervisor in Sacramento County who joined Supervisors Wagner and Hewitt to mount this conference. Frost was instrumental in getting a COVID-compliant venue in the northern part of the state, and ensured that while sharing and disseminating knowledge, the participants felt safe and were in compliance with CDC guidelines for safe gatherings.