[M T]

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.

In California, state law gives the Health Officers such powers. From the SCC initial SiP order:
"UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTIONS
101040, 101085, AND 120175, THE HEALTH OFFICER OF THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA ("HEALTH OFFICER") ORDERS ..." (I added the links)

In a SCC telephone town hall meeting last Sunday, County Supervisor Joe Simitian brings this up at about 31:50, pointing out that the power rests with the (unelected) Health Officer, rather than the elected county officials.

[M T]

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.

In California, state law gives the Health Officers such powers. From the SCC initial SiP order:
"UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTIONS
101040, 101085, AND 120175, THE HEALTH OFFICER OF THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA ("HEALTH OFFICER") ORDERS ..." (I added the links)

In a SCC telephone town hall meeting last Sunday, County Supervisor Joe Simitian brings this up at about 31:50, pointing out that the power rests with the (unelected) Health Officer, rather than the elected county officials.