Godley has since apologized for the lapse in judgment, telling the Press Democrat, “I own this.” But his violation of the county’s strict shelter-in-place guidelines has rankled some residents of the Northern California community, while igniting a debate about whether those on the front lines of the global pandemic deserve an occasional pass.

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“To have him violate the public health order really goes against everything we believe in, which is that in Sonoma County no one is above anyone else, no one gets special privileges,” Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins told radio station KSRO on Monday. “We should all be held accountable to the same rules.”

With its craggy bluffs, secluded coves and rugged coastline, Sonoma County tends to attract people who enjoy spending time outdoors. Lately, though, that’s placed local officials in a difficult quandary.

Beginning on March 18, county residents were told to limit nonessential travel outside their homes. But they were also told that biking, walking and other forms of outdoor exercise were permitted — so long as they maintained six feet of separation from others. Soon, people from all over the Bay Area were heading to hiking trails, beaches and state parks in search of fresh air, sunshine and a chance to leave the house.

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The unexpected surge of visitors led to traffic jams and packed beach parking lots during the first weekend that the shelter-in-place order was in effect, the Press Democrat reported. Some locals described the scene as akin to the Fourth of July, and complained that hikers and beachgoers were failing to follow the six-feet rule.

Saying that the “high volume of usage” was making social distancing impossible, the county’s public health department decided to make beaches off-limits to everyone. On March 23, Sundari R. Mase, the health officer for Sonoma County, informed residents that all beaches, parks and open spaces were closed until further notice.

Godley’s family trip to the beach took place five days after that announcement.

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“Any reasoning or justification is going to sound thin,” he told the Press Democrat. “I seek the understanding and mercy of my community. The opportunity to grant just a moment of freedom to my family — given that they rarely see me — is not a justification, but it’s what was going through my mind at the time.”

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To date, 85 people in Sonoma County have tested positive for covid-19, and one death has been attributed to the virus. As the leader of the county’s Emergency Operation Center, Godley has been heading up the official response to the health crisis, and at least one elected official has suggested that he deserved a break.

“If this was the doctor, in the midst of a battle for six days, and had one day off with family, would it be a sin?” Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt asked the Press Democrat. He added, “I want my top people who are responding to this crisis to be of sound mind, body and health. And if that means going to the coast to feel better, I’m all for it.”

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But critics have pushed back on that reasoning, pointing out that plenty of people — such as parents attempting to care for young children while working from home — are struggling right now.

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“It shouldn’t be, ‘I’m important, so I get a pass to go to the beach,’” Hopkins told KSRO. “Right now, grocery store clerks are incredibly important, and they have a very stressful job on the front lines of providing a critical service to the community.”

After facing some backlash for his remarks, Rabbitt told KSRO that he agreed that the beach trip had been a mistake, but that the emergency management director had owned it. “I don’t think that it makes any sense to crucify him for that,” he said, adding that there were much bigger issues at hand “in a pandemic where people are going to die.”

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Some community members calling for Godley to resign or be removed from his position see a parallel to “Beachgate” — the infamous 2017 Newark Star-Ledger photo that showed then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) sunbathing with his family on a beach that was closed to the public.

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“I am appalled at the people that are supposed to be role models are out there breaking their own ‘Shelter in Place’ rules,” one detractor wrote on Twitter. “Christopher Godley needs to be fired. You don’t have room to make mistakes at that level.”

Still, even many of Godley’s critics say that during his two years on the job he’s significantly improved the way the county handles crises. He was appointed after deadly wildfires killed 24 people and burned more than 5,300 homes in Sonoma County in 2017, leading local officials to admit widespread failings, the Press Democrat reported. When wildfires again swept the county last November, there were no fatalities, which was credited in part to an improved government response.

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Responding to a resident who called for the emergency manager’s firing on Facebook, Logan Harvey, the mayor of the city of Sonoma, said that he wouldn’t defend the beach trip, but felt that Godley’s work “undeniably saved lives” in the 2019 wildfires.