Mendocino County small businesses argue against vaccine mandate

A large group of small Mendocino County businesses met with the public health officer Saturday to discuss his planned order to mandate vaccines for employees and customers at restaurants and bars.

Although the gathering in the parking lot of a Ukiah gym with Dr. Andy Coren got heated at times — with one man who made anti-vaccine statements being escorted out — the host said he felt discussions were productive.

“Most of the people there wanted to work together to help fight COVID and still survive in business,” said John Strangio, co-owner of the Ukiah Valley Health Club, who worked with other businesses to set up the meeting at his club. “This was not about being pro- or anti-vaccine. We were making sure the county knows how hard a vaccine mandate would be on small businesses.”

He said more than 100 people, with a few toting anti-vaccine signs, came to hear what Coren and others had to say. Representatives came from 40 businesses in Ukiah, Fort Bragg, Hopland and Willits.

Strangio, who runs two other gyms in Ukiah and spoke about the meeting in a phone call, said he opted to host the meeting with his wife, Lauren, because the order wouldn’t affect him personally. He’s been told that county tracing of the virus hadn’t led back to gyms.

Coren had announced at Tuesday’s Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting that he was preparing the order because “we continue to see many high-risk exposure events, especially at restaurants and bars, that contribute to community spread.” He couldn’t be reached to comment on Saturday’s meeting or if his plans to issue the order would change.

The county has recorded 64 deaths from COVID-19, and six in the past week, including a 41-year-old with no other health conditions that contributed to their death.

The new order would require that restaurant and bar owners adopt policies mandating staff to be vaccinated and that customers verify they’ve been vaccinated, or eat outside or take food to go. Employees with confirmed religious or health exemptions would have to be tested regularly,

Coren, who attended along with Sheriff Matt Kendall and other county staff, spoke, took notes and answered questions for about 1½ hours before the meeting was ended as the temperature rose along with tensions.

“We wanted it to end on a positive note,” Strangio said.

The public health officer said at the supervisors meeting that he believed the mandate would “protect the employees and the small businesses without harming the businesses or the community’s access to food.”

However, many who attended Saturday’s confab begged to differ.

“Our staff is treated like crap if we just ask them to put a mask on,” said owner Stephanie Dunken of Slam Dunk Pizza in Ukiah and Willits in a phone interview.

“Imagine what it would be like if we asked them for proof they’ve been vaccinated,” said Dunken, who said she is vaccinated. “I don’t think businesses should be bullied into forcing people to get vaccinations.”

Others said their staff was getting spit on, assaulted and verbally abused when trying to enforce a mask requirement, Strangio said. They lose business when people are offended and leave, he said.

Dunken, who helped organize the event, said coherent public discourse was thwarted by some oppoonents of vaccines who showed up with their own agenda.

But she said Coren met with people after the meeting, talking with them about strategies short of a mandate, such as signs, and other COVID-related issues.

“He was really willing to listen to ideas to try and accommodate what we want to happen and what he wants to happen. He said ‘We have to make this work for all of us,’’” Dunken said.

Strangio said he was impressed that the public health officer was willing to “come into the lion’s den.”

Dunken said she got the impression that Coren wouldn’t put the mandate through right away, and would instead work with businesses on other solutions. Strangio hoped he would change the order to a recommendation.

You can reach Staff Writer Kathleen Coates at kathleen.coates@pressdemocrat.com.