Barbara Ferrer of the Los Angeles County Department of Health is a happy-go-lucky mask-happy and has blocked comments on social media. It further isolates itself from those it purports to serve as well as avoiding responsibility. Unfortunately for the department, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in July on an unrelated case that such acts by public entities “violated the First Amendment by creating publicly accessible social media pages related to their official duties and then blocking certain members of the public because of the nature of their comments.”
It certainly appears that they’re breaking the law.
Marla Tellez from Fox 11 asked Ferrer to explain the closure of public comments. She amazingly claimed that the famedly micromanaging executive, who is not elected, had no idea what had just happened. Watch:
Many of you noted that commenting had been disabled a week prior. @lapublichealthSocial media accounts, such as here on Twitter
I inquired Health Dir. Barbara Ferrer if this was her decision + she tells me she wasn’t aware
Follow up
She is the Chief Comms. Dir. We received a statement from Dir. pic.twitter.com/eRPbWiE8Zx
— MarlaTellez (@MarlaTellez) August 5, 2022
Thanks to local television reporter Tellez’s doggedness, she got an answer from the “Comms Director” of the LACDH, Brett Morrow, who curiously took his Twitter account private soon after tangling with anchor Elex Michaelson, also of Fox 11. Michaelson joined a discussion with Morrow about the County-USC Medical Center physicians saying that the complete oppositeInformation from the Department regarding COVID cases occurring in LA
The statement from LA Public Health claims their decision to block the department’s over 350,000 social media followers was made because of “threats, bullying, or harassment on public platforms.” Note that older comments from the LACDH are still up on social media, and the overwhelming number of comments may mock or deride, or question, but mostly they’re not threatening.
Now attorney Julie Hamill, on behalf of the Alliance of LA County Parents, is cautioning the department that she will pursue a “cause of action” to force them to reopen comments on their official social media. She previously filed a Writ of Mandate to stop any future masks mandates.
Counsel has been sought. @lapublichealth to review the Garnier decision (https://t.co/aeG7fVgrxI) and have his client reopen public comment on their official social media. If they fail to do so, then we’ll add an action cause for violations of the 1stA. @ALT_lacph
— Julie Hamill (@hamill_law) August 5, 2022
LA County isn’t the only public entity trying to put a muzzle on people. Since 2021 the federal Department of Health and Human Services blocked all comments regarding promoted tweets, including this one. Surgeon General Vivek Murphy assuring the public that “chances are slim” you will get COVID after being vaccinated. This is obviously misinformation to anyone who’s not been in a cave for the last six months.
On California Senator Dr. Richard Pan’s official Twitter account, he also seems to run afoul of the court ruling. He or his employee may spend hours hiding commentaries on his tweets. The posts he posted support parental consent being removed from many things including the COVID vaccine for 12-year olds without parental consent. Components who have not responded to the request for information are required to inform others. UnYou can hide them.
— Jen G ❄️😭 (@Jen_G123) August 4, 2022
Some frustrated parents have set up a Twitter profile called “ALT LA Public Health Account” where they post every Tweet that LACDH puts out. What’s the difference? You can comment. While this is an amusing development, and another great sign of people fighting back, it still doesn’t hold Ferrer accountable because you can be sure she’ll never visit.
LACDH’s habit of further hiding from the public they’re supposed to answer to and avoiding accountability is a bad one, and it’s high time that a court stepped in. American law allows the public to make comments and consents of the governed.
Read all of RedState’s Barbara Ferrer coverage here.
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