Bohemian Grove, long a secluded playpen for an elite clique of business titans, plutocrats, power brokers, and politicians, is drawing scrutiny from local officials in Northern California over its exclusion of women.
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is objecting to a law enforcement contract for the tree-lined outfit north of San Francisco. The club, which since its founding 1872 has prohibited women from joining, uses $151,127 in police resources during their 18-day encampment in Monte Rio. The Bohemian Grove reimburses the county for its costs.
Even with the reimbursement it’s wrong to provide police protection for a male-only organization, said Supervisor Shirlee Zane, a leading voice of opposition, according to the Press Democrat.
The organization has been criticized for years due to its secretive nature and elite guest list. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush were reportedly guests at various points in their political careers, along with cabinet officials, CEOs, military contractors, and prominent journalists.
Bohemian Grove has long been a source of fascination for outsiders and conspiracy theorists, including Alex Jones of InfoWars.
“In 2000, Jones and his cameraman entered the camp with a hidden camera and were able to film a Bohemian Grove ceremony, Cremation of the Care,” the Washington Post reported in 2011. “During the ceremony, members wear costumes and cremate a coffin effigy called ‘Care’ before a 40-foot-owl, in deference to the surrounding Redwood trees.”
Such secret rituals don’t go down as well in 2019, though taking action may not be so easy. On Tuesday, Supervisors Zane and Lynda Hopkins asked the police contract be postponed for a week so county attorneys could review it.
“How does this still exist in 2019?” Hopkins asked.
If the contract is rejected by the board, the sheriff’s office would still have to provide law enforcement services, but there would be no compensation from the club.
Sheriff Mark Essick told Zane and Hopkins the delay “could possibly damage our relationship” with Bohemian Grove, and it would be “extremely difficult” to meet the contract’s obligations.
The law enforcement contracts for Bohemian Grove have been approved for 14 years without a hitch.
Without the contract, Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Crum said deputies would only respond to Bohemian Grove as needed, rather than the 1,290 hours of personnel time the contract covers.
