Gavin Newsom directs CHP to change permit rules in aftermath of Capitol Christian concert

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday said that he is directing the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Public Health to develop new protocols for public safety in the aftermath of Christian concert at the Capitol that drew thousands of mostly unmasked participants.

The governor said that there is real concern that people who attended the event may not only get sick themselves, but spread COVID-19 to others who were not in attendance.

Newsom said that it’s important to avoid large mixing events, which he called “simply irresponsible.”

“Where people are not following the rules, that request a permit but don’t abide by the commitments they make and put other people’s lives at risk and increase the likelihood that not only we see a spread of the virus, but a delay in getting people back to school and a delay, if I may, in getting people back to work,” the governor said. “There is simply nothing more important in this state and in this nation, if we care about getting our kids back in school and we care about getting the economy moving again than addressing the spread of this virus.”

Newsom said the new rules have to “be based on constitutional rights, constitutional protections, at the same time public health and public safety.” He said they would apply to all events, not just those that are religious in nature.

The concert was held on the west steps of the Capitol Sunday evening, and though CHP permitted the event for up to 1,000 people, the crowd size grew to up to 3,000 as the event began, according to a CHP spokeswoman.

“Prior to the event start, the Capitol permit officer indicated those who were showing up at the Capitol were socially distancing. Additionally, the permit officer was walking around the crowd verbally reminding people. As the event began, the permit officer indicated the participants moved towards the stage as additional people began to arrive for the event,” according to the statement.

The CHP said that a decision was made to allow the concert to continue to its conclusion “given the large number of people present for this event and the fact that it was a relatively short event.”

The CHP also cited as a factor the resources that would be needed to disperse a crowd of that size, the safety of the participants, the time it would take and other protect activities in the Sacramento area.

“The CHP will continue to review its policies associated with permitted events on state property in accordance with California Department of Public Health guidelines,” the agency said in a statement.

This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Gavin Newsom directs CHP to change permit rules in aftermath of Capitol Christian concert."