UpdatedWed, Apr 28, 2021 at 5:42 pm PT
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Temecula City Council meeting. Top row: Mayor Maryann Edwards, City Manager Aaron Adams, City Attorney Peter Thorsen. Middle row: Mayor Pro Tem Matt Rahn, council members Jessica Alexander and Zak Schwank. Bottom: Council Member James Stewart. (City of Temecula)
TEMECULA, CA — Temecula City Council Member Jessica Alexander has come under scrutiny both locally and nationally after she compared "taking a stand" against California's COVID-19 health mandates — particularly mask-wearing — to Rosa Parks' struggle against racial segregation.
At Tuesday's City Council meeting, Council Member Zak Schwank "respectfully encouraged" Alexander to apologize for her April 13 comment.
"Wearing a mask is not a civil rights issue. It's not a battle. It's not a civil rights battle," Schwank said. "Equating the two is offensive, and quite honestly, it breaks down all the work that we've done over the past year."