California is again flirting with face-covering rules, with local health officers and state agencies recommending masks in indoor public spaces. The renewed campaign arrives even as hospitalizations remain low overall, and it echoes the mandates that blanketed the state during the pandemic years.

“Bring your mask with you whenever you leave your home,” former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at the time. “That will help us get more freedoms.”

“Simply put, we are seeing too many people with faces uncovered,” Gov. Gavin Newsom declared when his administration moved from guidance to near-universal mandates. Those words still capture the mindset now resurfacing in official posts and press statements across the Golden State.

This week, Yolo County’s health officer Aimee Sisson announced, “California is experiencing a summer COVID wave.” She followed with a county-specific prescription: “Based on current wastewater levels of the virus that causes COVID-19, I recommend that everybody in West Sacramento wear a mask when they are around others in indoor public spaces.”

“I also recommend that people in the rest of Yolo County wear masks when they are around others indoors if they are 65 or older, have a weakened immune system, have an underlying medical condition that puts them at a greater risk of severe COVID-19, or spend time around people who fall into these categories,” Sisson added.

San Francisco’s public health department echoed the refrain and urged residents to take the same step: “wearing a well-fitted mask when you are in crowded, indoor spaces, including when traveling.” State officials amplified the message with a broader advisory aimed at travelers and families.

“Protect yourself and your loved ones by considering masking in indoor public places like airports and planes. Wear a high-quality mask like an N95, KN95 or KF94 to stay protected,” the California Department of Public Health posted.

When asked where policy stands, the department was blunt: “CDPH continues to recommend masks in certain situations and is not considering changing these recommendations at this time.” Officials added, “Local health departments may make recommendations on masking based on virus activity in their region. Overall wastewater concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 are currently increasing, and it is not yet clear when wastewater activity will peak this summer.”

National hospitalization data provide context. According to federal surveillance for the latest week reported, admissions per 100,000 people were 1.4 for ages 0–4, 0.2 for ages 5–17, 0.4 for ages 18–49, 0.9 for ages 50–64, and 5.1 for those 65 and older. Overall levels are low, even as infections are estimated to be growing in dozens of states, including California.

Mask advocates often cite caution, while critics point to research that failed to show real-world benefit from community masking. A peer-reviewed analysis early in the pandemic concluded there was “no significant reduction in influenza transmission with the use of face masks.” It also reported: “There is limited evidence for \[disposable medical masks’] effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure. Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.”

A comprehensive Cochrane review published later reached a similar bottom line: “Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of influenza‐like illness/COVID-19-like illness compared to not wearing masks. … Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of laboratory-confirmed influenza/SARS-CoV-2 compared to not wearing masks.”

For many Californians, the debate is not just about data—it’s about trust. After years of shifting rules, closed playgrounds, and shuttered businesses, families want clarity that focuses on voluntary, risk-based advice, not blanket edicts that punish the healthy and ignore trade-offs in schools and workplaces.

Conservatives see a better model: honest metrics, targeted protection for the truly vulnerable, and respect for personal choice. That’s the approach that delivers stability without marching back into mandates that didn’t pass the real-world test. Californians deserve leaders who follow the evidence—not the old playbook.

The mask chorus may rise again, but parents, seniors, and small businesses know what actually works: clear information, freedom to choose, and accountability when officials overreach. Stand firm, stand informed, and keep California moving forward—on freedom’s terms, not fear’s.