AINSLEY: WELL, MOST STUDENTS
HAVE SPENT MORE THAN A YEAR
WITHOUT IN PERSON LEARNING IN
THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
AND IN CITIES LIKE OAKLAND AND
SAN FRANCISCO, WHILE TEENAGERS
CANNOT GO TO MATH CLASS THEY CAN
GO TO AN AMUSEMENT PARK.
IT’S A POINT MADE BY OUR NEXT
GUEST A DOCTOR WHO HAS BEEN
SOUNDING THE ALARM FOR OUR
MONTHS WE HAVE HAD HER ON OUR
SHOW BEFORE DR. JEAN NOBEL THE
PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE
AND DIRECTOR OF COVID RESPONSE
AT U.C. SAN FRANCISCO.
GOOD MORNING, DOCTOR, THANKS FOR
BEING ON WITH US.
>> GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
AINSLEY: YOU ARE WELCOME.
WE WANTED TO HAVE YOU ON BECAUSE
YOU TWEETED OUT A PICTURE AND IT
SAYS THERE ARE NO HIDDEN
COMPLEXITIES THAT COULD POSSIBLY
EXPLAIN THIS MISALIGNMENT OF
SOCIAL PRIORITIES, #OPEN SCHOOLS
AT GAVIN NEWSOM.
AND THEN YOU PUT, YOU CAN SEE ON
THE SCREEN, GUYS, IF YOU WANT TO
WATCH YOUR TV RIGHT NOW.
YOU CAN SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO AND
WHAT YOU CAN’T DO.
AND IT SAYS WHAT YOU CAN DO EAT
IN RESTAURANTS, WATCH MOVIES IN
THEATERS, GO BOWLING INSIDE.
SHOP IN STORES, WORK IN OFFICES,
GO TO AMUSEMENT PARKS, ATTEND
HOUSES OF WORSHIP.
WORK OUT IN GYMS GO TO POOLS AND
ATTEND OUTDOOR EVENTS.
WHAT THEY CAN’T DO GO TO MATH
CLASS ENGLISH SCIENCE, HISTORY
LANGUAGE CLASS ATTEND PE CLASS
OUTSIDE.
ATTEND MUSIC AND DANCE CLASS IN
PERSON AND SUPPORT EMOTIONAL
HEALTH.
WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO
GET THIS MESSAGE OUT AND PUT IT
ON TWITTER?
>> WE NEED TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT A
PREPOSTEROUS SITUATION WE ARE IN
NOW IN CALIFORNIA.
WE WERE AMONG THE FIRST STATES
CLOSE OUR SCHOOLS BECAUSE OF
COVID RISKS AND AT THAT POINT IN
TIME A YEAR AGO MARTHA MADE
SENSE.
WE THOUGHT THAT SCHOOLS WOULD BE
SUPER SPREADERS.
WE HAVE KNOWN FOR MONTHS THAT
SCHOOLS ARE SAFE PLACES AND WE
HAVE OPENED OUR ECONOMY AS COVID
RATES ARE DECLINED PRECIPITOUSLY
IN CALIFORNIA, WHICH IS GREAT.
WE HAVE NEVER HAD A MANDATE TO
REOPEN OUR SCHOOLS.
SO AS OUR ECONOMY IS OPENED, AS
AMUSEMENT PARKS AND MOVIES AND
RESTAURANTS ARE ALL OPEN NOW,
OUR SCHOOLS REMAIN CLOSED.
THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT IN
CALIFORNIA THAT THE SCHOOLS
REOPEN.
AINSLEY: THE GOVERNOR HAS SAID
BACK IN OCTOBER HIS KIDS GO
PRIVATE SCHOOL SO THEY ARE BACK
IN CLASS.
IS HE CAUGHT AT FRENCH LAUNDRY.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT HE WANTS
TO OPEN CERTAIN THINGS BUT CLOSE
OUR SCHOOLS?
WHY ARE AMUSEMENT PARKS MORE
IMPORTANT THAN OUR SCHOOLS?
>> WELL, I THINK HE WOULD LIKE
SCHOOLS TO OPEN.
IT’S JUST THAT HE IS NOT WILLING
TO EXPEND THE POLITICAL CAPITAL
TO MANDATE THAT THEY OPEN.
HE HAS GIVEN CASH INCENTIVES TO
GET SCHOOLS TO OPEN.
HE PUT TEACHERS IN THE FRONT OF
THE LINE FOR VACCINATIONS.
BUT THAT WASN’T GOOD ENOUGH.
THERE ARE NEW DEMANDS BY THE
TEACHERS’ UNIONS, LONG STANDING
LABOR GRIEVANCES FOR SUBSIDIZED
CHILD CARE AND HOUSING SUBSIDIES
AND SHORTER WORK DAYS WHICH ARE
POTENTIALLY ALL VALID LABOR
COMPLAINTS BUT THEY SHOULDN’T BE
MADE ON THE BACKS OF OUR
CHILDREN.
AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO, SINCE
THE UNIONS HAVE BASICALLY
REFUSED TO OPEN K THROUGH 12
SCHOOLS IS TO MANDATE THAT THEY
REOPEN.
WE ONLY HAVE 8 WEEKS LEFT IN
THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
AINSLEY: DOES IT ALL GO BACK TO
MONEY?
THEY’RE GOING TO MAKE MONEY FROM
TAXES ON THESE AMUSEMENT PARKS
AND MOVIE THEATERS AND THINGS
THAT ARE OPEN.
THEY ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE MONEY
ON THE SCHOOLS.
SO WHY DO THEY WANT TO APPEASE
THESE UNIONS?
IS IT ALSO GOING BACK TO MONEY
BECAUSE THESE UNIONS, THE
TEACHERS UNIONS GIVE THESE
DEMOCRATS MONEY FOR THEIR
CAMPAIGNS?
MILLIONS FOR THEIR CAMPAIGNS.
>> RIGHT.
WELL, I THINK OUR ECONOMY IS
OPENING BASED ON OUR COVID
RATES.
WE HAVE COMPLEX TIER SYSTEM THAT
ALLOWS CERTAIN SECTORS OF OUR
ECONOMY TO OPEN BASED ON DAILY
CASE RATES.
AND WE HAVE SEEN OUR COVID RATES
REALLY DECLINE AND SO WE HAVE
OPENED OUR ECONOMY.
BUT, SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED
FROM THAT WHILE RESTAURANTS AND
BARS HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO OPEN,
SCHOOLS ARE ALLOWED TO OPEN BUT
THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED TO OPEN.
EVEN THOUGH ARTICLE 9 OF
CALIFORNIA AT A TIME
CONSTITUTION MANDATES THE RIGHTS
TO UNFETTERED ACCESS TO
EDUCATION FOR KIDS, IT HASN’T
BEEN DONE EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW
IT’S SAFE AND OUR COVID RATES
TELL THAT’S WE CAN DO IT.
IT IS, I MEAN, THERE IS
CERTAINLY MONEY IN THE POLITICS.
THE PTA, THE CALIFORNIA
TEACHER’S ASSOCIATION HAS MORE
THAN 300,000 MEMBERS.
THEY ARE -- MAKE POLITICAL
CONTRIBUTIONS TO GAVIN NEWSOM.
HE DOES NOT WANT TO LOSE THEIR
SUPPORT.
AND KIDS ARE NOT VOTERS AND KIDS
DO NOT MAKE POLITICAL
CONTRIBUTIONS.
SO THERE IS NOT THE SAME
POLITICAL PRESSURE TO OPEN OUR
SCHOOLS AS THERE HAS BEEN TO
OPEN OUR BUSINESSES.
AINSLEY: DR. NOBLE, THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR TAKING TIME TO COME ON