California county claps back following report of 'spy operation' on church that resisted COVID mandates
Fox News
A California county facing a lawsuit from a local church over its COVID restrictions is clapping back as news of its reported surveillance of the house of worship gains publicity.
The statement followed a new report detailing a sophisticated and extensive "spy operation" targeting San Jose's Calvary Chapel, with which the county is involved in ongoing litigation. Aaron Kliegman is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital.
The report, published on Substack by journalist David Zweig, cited court documents in outlining how the county took various actions – such as watching church activities through a neighboring property's chain link fence, walking in on church gatherings like Bible study, and tracking churchgoers' cellular mobility data – to surveil Calvary, monitoring for compliance with public health mandates.
Santa Clara became known for its rigid pandemic-era directives as early as March 2020, when it along with other Bay Area counties became the first in the country to announce a shelter in place order, ordering residents to stay home except for specific activities deemed essential by government officials.