Governor Newsom:

It was with interest that I read of your roadmap and your plan to appoint a blue-ribbon panel to decide when to reopen the state.

Frankly, you don’t need all these people shuffling papers, speechifying, and grandstanding.  You just need to get on with opening the state.  You just need to get out of our way.  Let us work and live our lives as we see fit.  The California Dream that you pretend to favor cannot be created by forced obedience to stay-at-home-and-hide-under-the-bed orders.  It can only be created by all of us being free to work and live our lives as we see fit – not as you or other officials see fit.  Not everything can be done by telecommuting.  We are not criminals for hiking, or going to the beach, or working. I did not think that I would live to see people walking around with bandannas on their faces like desperadoes from a bad Wild West movie.

There is no such thing as zero risk, whether in regards to the coronavirus or anything else.  However, in the attempt to get to zero risk, it’s easy to get to zero freedom. That is where California and many other states are going – unless you end the lockdown now. 

Many Californians are out of a job right now.  That includes some of my friends. I don’t know how you think you can address homelessness without allowing people to work. Everyone must be allowed to go back to work and to visit family and friends, or enjoy California’s beautiful outdoors, without fear of being fined or imprisoned by law enforcement officers who are working at the behest of overzealous officials like you.  If the lockdown does not end, the people of California may decide at the next election that you do not need your current job either. 

Freedom is more important than safety.

Leave us alone.

Sincerely,

Michael Jabbra