Here is a timeline of events for those who have not yet realized the magnitude of what is happening here:
- 5 days ago, on April 25, the OC Register infamously published an article which inaccurately represented the number of people visiting Newport Beach by publishing a photo that looked like there were far more people on the beach than there were. Social Media went nuts with cries of #fakenews
- 4 days ago, on April 26, the San Jose Mercury News republished the article and photos, and likely arrived at Governor Newsom’s doorstep, angering him.
- 3 days ago, on April 27, Governor Newsom called out Newport Beach for having Beach Crowds
- 2 days ago, on April 28, Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill shows photos of the beach views from a helocopter, proving that the OC Register used forced-perspective with a powerful zoom lens in order to make the beaches look more crowded than they actually were. (http://newportbeach.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=44&clip_id=3477 starting at 8:36) — I cannot recommend enough watching this video. Please do not comment negatively about this article without watching this video first. He clearly debunks each item, item by item. O’Neill was kind enough to supply the powerpoint in this video, located here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dn528zhy6jp5kxs/2020.4.28%20-%20Council%20Meeting.pptx?dl=0This is the key image, debunking the photo:
- 1 day ago, Newsom ignored O’Neill’s comments, and issued an executive order to close the beaches, sending messages directly to the police departments, rather than to the council– essentially implying that the police powers are now answering directly to him, and not to local authorities. A reminder that the police chief is actually hired and fired by the city council.
The deadline that Newsom set for beach closures is Friday, May 1.
The governor is raging and engaging in police actions without data, in direct violation of Title 18 section 242.
We will see how things unfold from here, and I am sure this will not be the last update today, as all four sides (citizens, local government, county government, and state government) have everything is moving at lightning speeds right now.