Some keks

https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/11/16/california-lawmakers-head-to-maui-with-lobbyists-despite-pandemic-travel-warnings-1336605

California lawmakers head to Maui with lobbyists despite pandemic, travel warnings

By KATY MURPHY 11/16/2020 08:23 PM EST Updated 11/16/2020 09:09 PM EST

SACRAMENTO — The pandemic may have "canceled" 2020, but it did not derail an annual gathering of lobbyists and lawmakers on the shores of Maui that brought people from across the country to a luxury resort this week.

Roughly 100 people from four states converged at the Fairmont Kea Lani for a four-day legislative conference organized by the Independent Voter Project, said the group's chair and executive director, Dan Howle.

The 18th annual event was a third of its regular size, Howle said, but it still drew nearly 20 lawmakers from California, Texas and Washington state. The theme? How to reopen states' economies amid the public health crisis.

Howle said he was not concerned about the public health implications of bringing people from around the country together because of the stringent requirements in Hawaii's mandatory Safe Travels program. To avoid a lengthy quarantine, visitors must provide proof of a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of arrival.

"It really doesn’t matter where you’re coming from as long as you have a negative Covid test before you arrive here," he said.

But tests aren't infalliable; they could provide the wrong result or fail to catch coronavirus during the incubation period. And there are risks to traveling because visitors could still face exposure on the island and bring the virus home.

The event comes amid a worrisome surge in infections across the country and new travel restrictions on the West Coast, and as many schools and businesses remain closed.

It also follows revelations by the San Francisco Chronicle that Gov. Gavin Newsom attended a 12-person birthday party at an exclusive Napa Valley restaurant, the French Laundry.