[Goose]

it's obvious that she, not he, will bear the brunt of public accountability for that decision. 

Not sure that's true. I've thought it was clever for the various county boards of supervisors to allow the public health officers to take the brunt of the heat of the SiP policy. You may think it's obvious that the top elected officials have the ultimate say, but it didn't come across that way when the 6 public health officers announced the policy and proclaimed they had the power to impose it.

Are we really sure they don't in fact have that power? For sure the County Health Department has wide quarantine powers. They don't use them much, but they have them. SIP can be interpreted as a "special case" of that power.

[Goose]

it's obvious that she, not he, will bear the brunt of public accountability for that decision. 

Not sure that's true. I've thought it was clever for the various county boards of supervisors to allow the public health officers to take the brunt of the heat of the SiP policy. You may think it's obvious that the top elected officials have the ultimate say, but it didn't come across that way when the 6 public health officers announced the policy and proclaimed they had the power to impose it.

Are we really sure they don't in fact have that power? For sure the County Health Department has wide quarantine powers. They don't use them much, but they have them. SIP can be interpreted as a "special case" of that power.