Long Beach's most recent Health Dept. order (Aug. 18) continues to require face masks of all individuals in indoor public settings and at both Indoor and Outdoor "Mega Events," The Aug. 29 Elder event was not a "Mega Event" as defined by LB's Health Dept. ("large crowds greater than 1,000 attendees indoors and 10,000 attendees outdoors.")

However with the more contagious Delta variant now circulating, the photos speak for themselves.

Candidate Elder, while not an "anti-vaxer," has indicated that if he becomes Governor he would remove current Newsom administration statewide COVID-19 requirements.

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LBREPORT.com, now completing our 21st year of continuous operation, sought to attend the Elder event to provide "C-SPAN style" unedited coverage (as we've done at other local news events.) On August 28, we learned that our request for access (which an event intermediary told us over a week earlier was approved) was blocked by the Elder campaign which banned all press access at the Aug. 29 event.

LBREPORT.com publisher Bill Pearl issued a statement voicing regret that the Elder campaign had prevented the public from learning what candidate Elder told his LB contributors at the Aug 29 event.

The Elder campaign did allow press access (including by us) at an August 22 event fundraiser at the home of a wealthy OC supporter. Photos and videos show attendees were likewise mainly maskless at that event. (A health issue on our part prevented us from attending the OC event.)

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Reporters are accustomed to incumbent politicians and those seeking elective office who try to prevent press access to their fundraisers (preventing the public from learning what they tell their contributors.)

In 2019, then-state Senate candidate Lena Gonzalez's campaign blocked LBREPORT.com from attending two of her campaign fundraisers (one at a Lakewood business, another at a LB home.)

Senator Gonzalez, today an opponent of the recall election, sought as a Councilwoman to block LBREPORT.com's camera lens when we inquired -- following a public Council district budget meeting -- whether she supported budgeting more police than Mayor Garcia recommended in FY17.) (LBREPORT.com coverage here)

LBREPORT.com video screen save.

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