Orange County Falsely Inflated COVID-19 Testing Data for Over a Month

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Today, Congressman Harley Rouda released the following statement in response to the news that Orange County falsely inflated its COVID-19 testing numbers for more than a month, misleading the public about the state of the coronavirus crisis.

“The Orange County Board of Supervisors, chaired by Michelle Steel, sat idly by as their COVID-19 data was falsely inflated, to the tune of 30,000 tests, for over a month. This revelation comes only hours after Chairwoman Steel was exposed for her deliberate misleading of the public during weekly County-wide press conferences. This isn’t a ‘mistake’ — it’s malpractice.

Orange County working families and small businesses are counting on their County to provide accurate testing data and enact policies that protect public health and help our economy. Chairwoman Steel has failed on both counts.”