Cameron Kaiser is out as County public health officer

Dr. Cameron Kaiser was removed from his position as Riverside County public health officer by the Board of Supervisors today, officials announced.

Kaiser, who had served in that position since 2011, was replaced effective immediately by Dr. Geoffrey Leung, who has been part of the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the last year. Leung has led the county’s Incident Management Team for the vaccine rollout since December.
 

“I am honored to serve in this new capacity and look forward to continuing the important work of the department as we focus on recovering from this pandemic,” said Leung (right). “Public health, at its core, is about protecting communities from disease, preserving health and prolonging life. This pandemic has underscored how critical public health is to our everyday lives and ensuring the health of our communities.”

Leung has a medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and a master’s degree in education from Harvard, according to the news release. He started in Riverside County in 2006. For the last five years, he served as Ambulatory Medical Director for the Riverside University Health System. He has also been chair of family medicine for RUHS for the last nine years.

The news release stated that Kaiser “is no longer employed by the county, which was a decision made by the county executive officer earlier today.”

“I want to thank Dr. Kaiser (left) for his tireless work throughout this pandemic in service to our residents, communities, county agencies, cities, school districts and many other groups,” said CEO Jeff Van Wagenen.

The county health officer enforces county ordinances as well as state and federal statutes relating to public health in this area. Over the last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaiser faced criticism from members of the public on social media and during public comments portions of Board of Supervisors meetings.

Kaiser’s county health ordinances during the pandemic did not always coincide with state guidelines. Many believed his mask mandates and restrictions on businesses were too severe.