Policy Chats Greg Stepanicich: COVID-19 and The Constitutionality of the Shutdown
In this episode, City Attorney for Mill Valley and Fairfield, Greg Stepanicich talks with students from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy about "police power" and the legality of the shutdown.
About Mr. Stepanicich:
Mr. Stepanicich is the City Attorney for Mill Valley and Fairfield. He previously served as the City Attorney for Agoura Hills, Beverly Hills, and Seal Beach. He joined the law firm of Richard Watson Gershon in 1977 and opened up the firm's San Francisco office in 1998. Mr. Stepanicich is also a UCR School of Public Policy Advisory Board member.
Learn more about Mr. Stepanicich via the City of Fairfield and the City of Mill Valley.
Podcast Highlights:
“I think there is no doubt that mask requirements, social distancing requirements, and the closure of businesses is going to be enforceable at this time”
- Mr. Stepanicich on the topic of rules and regulations that are enforceable during these unprecedented times
“We end up relying on a Supreme Court case that goes way back to 1905 and it was a case involving Massachusetts and smallpox... and there the Court upheld a requirement that all adults in the state had to be vaccinated against smallpox”
- Mr. Stepanicich on the topic of where in history we look to understand the legality of the shutdown
“ The violation of a public health order is a misdemeanor, a criminal offense, and can be punished by a fine of one thousand dollars and up to six months in jail for each time the regulation is violated”
- Mr. Stepanicich on the topic of how the government can enforce laws and regulations, in order to increase public health and safety.
Guest:
Greg Stepanicich (City Attorney for Mill Valley and Fairfield)
Interviewers:
Maddie Bunting (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean’s Chief Ambassador)
Maya Prasad (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean’s Ambassador)
Music by:
Samuel Roberts (UCR Public Policy ‘20)
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/Minimal_1625
Voice Talent:
Paola Loera (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean’s Ambassador)
Kamillah Pollard (UCR Public Policy Major, Dean’s Ambassador)
Ana Yeli Ruiz (UCR MPP Candidate, Dean's Ambassador)
This is a production of the UCR School of Public Policy: https://spp.ucr.edu/
Subscribe to this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Learn more about the series and other episodes via https://spp.ucr.edu/podcast.
Links:
American Lung Association in California Screening "Unbreathable: The Fight For Healthy Air": bit.ly/ala-unbreathable
"The Importance of the Black Press in the Black Lives Matter Movement": bit.ly/spp-black-press