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Pismo Beach planning to mandate face masks in mid-June

May 7, 2020

Mayor Ed Waage

A split Pismo Beach City Council on Tuesday voted 3-2 for an ordinance requiring people to wear face masks inside essential businesses. If approved during a second meeting on May 19, the ordinance will go into force 30 days later, on June 19.

The council was split, with councilmembers Erik Howell, Marcia Guthrie and Sheila Blake wanting to pass an urgency ordinance requiring face mask usage immediately. However, an urgency ordinance requires a two-thirds majority to pass, which the council did not have.

Both Mayor Ed Waage and Councilwoman Mary Ann Reiss voted against the proposed urgency ordinance. Waage supports San Luis Obispo County’s Heath Officer Penny Borenstein’s recommendations regarding masks: that people with issues such as asthma or COPD should not be required to wear masks.

“I am trusting the health officer,” Waage said. “The county health officer has done a great job keeping rates down.”

Pismo Beach, which has had a seven confirmed cases, has not had a confirmed case of the coronavirus since April 24.

With Waage opposed, the council then voted to approve an ordinance requiring masks to be worn inside essential businesses and by people standing outside in line waiting to enter. Waage voiced concerns over the consistency of the ordinance, that as written will only impact essential businesses that are currently open, and not those to be phased in in the future.

At the scheduled May 19 council meeting, the council can either vote to approve the ordinance as written, or vote to enact changes which will restart the process.


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Great job Ed and Mary Ann. This fear thing is paralyzing people. I suspect most of them will wear a mask for the rest of their life. How sad.


1

Good job Ed. Let the county dictate what we can do and what we can not do.. City manager Lewis should spend his time dealing with the screw ups on Shell Beach Rd. rather than writing silly staff reports.


22

That’s fine Pismo Beach. I take my business elsewhere, and encourage others to do the same.


8

I applaud Pismo for setting easy to follow standards to help keep our elderly and disabled safe, you let the government mandate pants and no nudity in public but boycott a town over a mask lol? No shoes, no shirt, no mask, no service. If you have a problem with masks, I wonder how much you must hate clothing and bathing? Are you that old guy at Pirates Cove walking around with a shirt and no underwear? One less potential health risk in Pismo, we won’t miss you! Pismo is getting ready for the Valley Fever tourism season, no big deal to me, safety first. I even wear a seat belt when I drive and look both ways when crossing the road, and boycott arsenic and asbestos and lead too in my house. Call me cautious I guess, silly me for cherishing life and others too, so selfish I must sound. Why can’t I just be nude all the time damn tyranical Gov Gavin and his “moral values” the jerk. Man, why can’t more people have “common sense”.


-33

I guess people hate anyone over 50 and the disabled here, clapping my hands for you folks. God is watching you all.


-30

I don’t know where you got that from my comment. Pismo Beach can do what they want. I will as well. The Pismo experience is overrated and way to expensive for what they offer. By the way, I’m near 60 and still work hard in at a physical job every day. I will chose to spend my time and money where I want. Where is the hate in this comment or my previous one?


10

Maybe at a time of of pandemic “we” need to step away from our fierce individualism and embrace collectivism. You had six “I’s” and zero “we’s” in your statement.


During WWII there weren’t a lot of “I’s” out there, just a nation full of “we’s”. There was even more disruption of daily lives back then. It doesn’t compare to today.


Yet we get the “give me freedom or I will give you death crowd” after a few short weeks of sacrifice.


I don’t like wearing a face mask, I don’t do it for me as much as I do it for you. Because “you” are my neighbors who have; asthma, heart disease, pulmonary disease, fighting cancer, cystic fibrosis, or merely old and more susceptible. That is why you should wear one, even though you feel strong and indestructible. It is not just about YOU.


Getting back to work is made more difficult with people out there refusing to follow guidelines. You hold us all back by not wearing a mask.


1

I never said anything about not wearing a mask. I never stated it was just about me. As a matter of fact, I wear a mask and gloves when interacting with the public and at work when required. I have for the last six weeks. Your assuming an awful lot. We all have sacrificed during this time in many areas. For the good of many. I’m sorry that I haven’t given into the fear that many have. I will always be careful and practical as we all go through this. There is nothing wrong with being tough as an individual in regards to our lives. Maybe if more were, we wouldn’t be having and increase of “individualism snowflakes”.


-1

Not sure saying “Pismo Beach has not had a confirmed case of the corona virus since April 24” is being completely truthful unless you check every case in all other areas to see if any of them are from someone who worked in Pismo Beach or contact from someone who works in Pismo Beach, or visited Pismo Beach and they got the virus in Pismo Beach.


-6

Dont forget the tourism season in the summer and a massive influx of people from all over the country and world, they’re playing it safe, is a mask that much different from a hat or shirt lol, some think it is I guess, for whatever wacky idiotic reason. You go naked in public, guess what, you go to jail. Damn government hindering my right to be naked in public or Walmart as a red blooded American, the fascists, friggin Obama, it’s all his fault I can’t be naked, and damn Gavin. Those moral chumps.


-38