According to the Sheriff’s Department of Placer County, more than 100 people gathered on New Year’s Eve at a big party in a lavish mansion in Granite Bay, a highly affluent suburb of Sacramento.
The sheriff’s department responded to one noise complaint during the party in the cordoned-off community of Los Lagos Estates, which faces Folsom Lake. Delegates did not issue any quotes.
“The delegates spoke to the homeowner and said they should keep it,” said Angela Musallam, a sheriff’s public information officer. “We were not called after that initial contact. That was our first call. If we had gotten out there a few times, we would have issued quotes.”
Videos and photos of the party posted on social media show a crowd of people without masks celebrating and drinking, despite the state’s home ban banning gatherings to stop the spread of the coronavirus amid a global pandemic.
Although the party was a clear violation of the order, Mussalam said the department did not have the authority to enforce it.
“The sheriff does not have the power to apply the guidelines,” Musallam said. “It simply came to our notice then.
According to the story on SFGATE, the house was previously owned by Hollywood actor Eddie Murphy from 1998 to 2007. Murphy sold the property after his divorce from the model and the born Nicole Mitchell in Sacramento.
“This is a very affluent community,” Mussalam said. “There’s no access inside unless the guard has your name. It would seem like it was more of an exclusive party, but of course a big gathering.”
Placer County is part of the Greater Sacramento region where the stay-home order remains in force. On Saturday, the order was extended indefinitely. The order takes effect when the capacity of the intensive care unit falls below 15% in the region and can be lifted if the projection of four-week ICU capacity exceeds 15%, according to the California Department of Public Health.
The California Department of Public Health said the state continues to see alarmingly positive cases in the state and record numbers of individuals admitted to the hospital in need of intensive care as a result of COVID-19. In response to the Granite Bay party, the department said: “This is not the time to be complacent, this is the time to redouble our efforts to protect ourselves, our families and our communities from this virus.”