Regretful Sonoma County health officer Sundari Mase says she wants to continue leading campaign against COVID-19

Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase said Tuesday that she does not believe her alcohol-related reckless driving conviction last summer undermines her ability to guide the county through the pandemic, even as critics call for her resignation.

In a statement to The Press Democrat, Mase again expressed her “regrets and apologies” for what happened and thanked those who have rallied to support her.

“I am very grateful for all the support I have been receiving from colleagues in the county and members of the public,” she said.

“I do not believe this incident has interfered in any way with my ability to do my job, nor will it,” she continued.

“I have expressed my regrets and apologies for what happened, and I stand by that statement. Otherwise, I’m maintaining my focus on the work at hand, which concerns limiting the impacts of COVID on our community and getting people vaccinated and boosted.”

Mase’s conviction stemmed from a Dec. 2, 2020, arrest in Alameda County on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol with a prior offense. She later pleaded no contest to a “wet reckless,” the informal description of a DUI-related plea bargain.

(Read a message from the editor about why The Press Democrat pursued and published the story on Dr. Mase here.)

This week, two members of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors said they intend to address the matter at the next board meeting on March 1.

Mase and public health staff are expected to give a COVID-19 briefing at the meeting.

All five county supervisors said they did not find out about Mase’s arrest and conviction until The Press Democrat began reporting the story last week. Mase said last week that she reported her arrest at the time to her boss and to the county’s chief legal counsel. Both are no longer with the county.

“My only disappointment is that the county knew, but I and the other supervisors did not know,” said Board of Supervisors Chair James Gore.

The Board appointed Mase in March 2020 at the outset of the pandemic. She made $282,450 last year. Newly named Health Services Director Tina Rivera is her direct supervisor.

Gore said he intends to ask Rivera to look into the county’s initial internal response and determine if there should be any further action.

“This is not an issue unless Tina and HR make it an issue beyond what we have seen so far,” Gore said. “Somebody who made a gross mistake during personal time, and how that impacts their job is really going to be up to Tina to figure out and bring back to us.”

Gore added that Mase, a former World Health Organization infectious disease expert, has been “a consummate professional” throughout her time working with the board.

However, “that kind of a mistake is a big one,” Gore said of her arrest. “It is about credibility and it is about the perception of you and how you do your job. Having said that, it’ll take a little bit to figure out where this goes, or how it links to her work.”

The board is expected to vote to approve Rivera as the new Health Services director at that same March 1 meeting. She has been serving as interim director for the past nine months.

Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, who said she was “shocked and disappointed” by news of Mase’s arrest, plans to request a review of what employees are legally obligated to report regarding off-duty incidents.

The county’s top lawyer, County Counsel Robert Pittman, said Mase was under no obligation to report her arrest and misdemeanor conviction to county officials.

“The incident involving Dr. Mase did not occur during work hours, did not occur on County property, and did not involve a County vehicle,” Pittman said in an email to The Press Democrat.

Mase has been the public face of the county’s pandemic response. She has garnered praise from public health advocates, while receiving withering criticism from anti-vaccine and anti-mask protesters. She has also been criticized by prominent members of the business community over what they saw as excessive unilateral mandates.

Peter Rumble, CEO of Santa Rosa Metro Chamber, said members of the local business community have been “shocked and surprised” by the news of Mase’s arrest and conviction. Rumble said he personally was saddened by the news.

“I hope she’s well and getting whatever support she needs to move forward positively,” Rumble said.

Some health care workers who have been on the front lines of the pandemic said they fully support Mase, whose efforts have led the county to an 80% vaccination rate, which is well above the statewide rate.

Dr. Panna Lossy, founder of IsoCare Network, a local nonprofit that has helped struggling families isolate and quarantine safely, said Mase’s work as health officer has saved lives in Sonoma County.

“Sonoma County is a shining star in California,” Lossy said. “Dr. Mase has led us to a place where 55% fewer people have died compared to the state average.”

Lossy pointed out that the overall COVID-19 death rate in Sonoma County is 95 fatalities per 100,000 residents, compared to the state’s rate of 213 deaths per 100,000. “I really think that success is directly related to what Dr. Mase has been doing to try to protect the community.”

Healdsburg City Council member Ariel Kelley, co-founder of and former CEO of Corazón Healdsburg, said she doesn’t believe Mase’s arrest and conviction undermine her ability to lead the local public health campaign against COVID-19.

“She has done a tremendous job navigating our community through the largest public health crisis of our lifetime,” said Kelley, who said she was speaking as an individual and not as a city official.

“I do think this was a lapse in judgment and she’s taken full responsibility for it,” she said.

Mase critics have questioned whether she was allowed to plea bargain because of her position as a public official, especially given that she had had a prior offense in San Diego in 2014.

On Tuesday, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office said that was not the case.

“During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, our office was resolving cases in order to keep defendants with lower-level offenses out of jail. Entering into plea deals was a common practice in order to help end a backlog of cases,” the Alameda County DA’s Office said in a statement.

Some supervisors, meanwhile, said they had concerns about the impact the negative attention would have on county health employees.

“It’s hard when something like this comes out and it causes people to question the credibility,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins stood by “the critical public health decisions,” that have shaped the county’s pandemic response.

Supervisors Susan Gorin and Chris Coursey were resolute in their support of Mase and said they did not believe her credibility would suffer.

Supervisor David Rabbitt, who has been more critical of Mase than other board members, condemned the fact she was arrested as “completely unacceptable” but added that as a civil servant, she is “entitled to due process.”

Rabbitt would not say whether he was worried about her credibility or whether he believes she should be fired.

“I’m not going to go there,” he said.

Mase said she wants to continue with her work as health officer.

“I’m proud of the progress that we have made in our county and all the work being done by the Health team and our community partners,” she said in her statement. “I look forward to continuing to do all that I can to support them and help them succeed through the pandemic and beyond.”

Staff Writer Ethan Varian contributed to this report.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.