Greg Raths’ (CA-45) Statement on OC Beach Closures

My Fellow Orange County Residents:

I strongly believe that Governor Newsom’s ill-advised decision to close our Orange County beaches is wrong. The people of Orange County deserve better during this time of crisis. Science, and those in the field of medicine, have documented for decades the importance of

sunlight and fresh air to the proper functioning of the needs of the human body. Importantly, new scientific lab results from the Department of Homeland Security suggest that heat, humidity and sunlight slow and even kill the coronavirus.

If the sun, fresh air, and our beautiful beaches have been found to fight and win against the coronavirus, what reason is there to shut down the beaches? We are at war with this virus. The Newsom Administration wants to strip us of our best weapon we have the right to use. When I was commanding a Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet Fighter Squadron, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, the only options I ever considered were ones which protected and enhanced the ability and life of my Marines. Some leaders, I guess, think differently.

The great people of Orange County have been diligently cooperating from the beginning of this pandemic. Our expected mortality numbers plunged to near 0% compared to what the Newsom Administration had predicted originally, not only in Orange County, but the entire state of California. The great people of Orange County are among those on the front lines, sacrificing all they have to win this war. The wonderful people of Orange County have fought and sacrificed. This overreaction from Newsom is an act of bad faith.

We deserve a better deal. Closing the beaches will undermine the enormous faith we have so willingly given when asked of us. Not only will it mistreat us, it undermines our ability to even fight the very disease which has caused all of this. The last time Americans met resistance while storming the beaches, Americans won. Let Californians on the beach.

Respectfully,

Colonel Greg Raths USMC (RET)

Elected Republican CA 45th Congressional District Candidate

Councilman, City of Mission Viejo