SAN JOSE — Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County’s public health officer who has faced criticism for her cautious approach to lifting stay-at-home orders, has also been the target of personal threats.
“We are aware of the threats made against Dr. Cody and it is under investigation,” Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Low said in a statement Tuesday.
He provided no details about the nature of the threats. They were first reported by the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
SAN JOSE, CA – MARCH 31: Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody speaks during a news conference in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group) (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
In an interview Tuesday, Cody did not address the threats specifically, but said “we’ve all taken more heat than we usually take. I try as much as possible to keep my head down.”
Cody is credited with leading the Bay Area-wide shelter-in-place order in mid-March — the first in the country and days ahead of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide order. When Newsom began loosening restrictions on church services and hair salons statewide at the end of May, however, Cody cautioned that he was moving too fast and Santa Clara County would proceed more cautiously.
Cody is not alone among public health officers across the country who have become targets of ire. Seven other health officials in California have resigned since the pandemic began after enduring withering criticism.
Kat DeBurgh, executive director of the Health Officers Association of California, said that although she hadn’t heard about threats against Cody specifically, the phenomenon is “alarming and disappointing. Public comment is an important part of making public policy. But instead of attacking the policy, they’ve started attacking the person.”
