California official attacked with racial slur at meeting where racism is declared public health crisis

Audience member yelled ‘go back to China’ at Orange County Health Care Agency Director Clayton Chau

A California official was attacked with a racial slur during a meeting in which racism was declared a public health crisis.

The incident happened as the Orange County Board of Supervisors, which has a Republican majority, passed the resolution, joining more than 250 jurisdictions in the US to do so.

As the board was getting ready to vote on it, an audience member yelled at Orange County Health Care Agency Director Clayton Chau, “go back to China.”

Republican Andrew Do, who emigrated to the US from Vietnam in the 1970s, immediately defended his colleague and said it highlighted the problem in Orange County.

“Really, go back to China?” Mr Do said. “And you think racism is dead?”

During the contentious meeting, an audience member compared the resolution, which was sponsored by Mr Do, to critical race theory, which has been a popular right-wing target.

“For those of you who care enough to follow, I am far from the left…so don’t get on your soap box and preach to me,” he said.

Democrat Doug Chaffee, Chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, co-sponsored Mr Do’s resolution and told the meeting why it posed a public health crisis.

“Experiencing racism has been associated with increased risk for numerous mental and physical chronic health conditions, like heart disease, cancer, asthma, stroke, Alzheimer’s, diabetics (sic), and suicide,” Mr Chaffee said.

“These health disparities underscore the urgent need to address systemic racism as a root cause of racial and ethnic health inequities and a core element of public health efforts.”

Mr Do has been a previous target of racist harassment during public meetings.

During a 2021 board of supervisors public meeting, an audience member called Mr Do “parasite” and said “I ask you to go the f*** back to Vietnam.”