Violet Affleck is 18 years old, newly graduated from high school, and showcasing her civic conscience, speaking out at a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday in opposition to proposed mask bans.

The daughter of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner introduced herself at LA’s Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration as “Violet Affleck, Los Angeles resident, first-time voter, and 18” in a clip of her public comment shared to X (formerly called Twitter). She argued in favor of making masks and free COVID-19 tests easily available, in contrast to LA Mayor Karen Bass floating the idea in late June that masks be banned at protests.

Days after Bass made her anti-mask comments, her office announced that she had contracted COVID-19 and would be attending meetings remotely. The virus is currently surging in California, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's wastewater tracking data shows a high load of the virus in the state. At least 420 people have died of the virus in Los Angeles County so far in 2024, and the county's public health guidelines still vaunt masking as “a great way to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19."

Violet, wearing a white medical face mask and black-framed glasses, spoke for about a minute during the public comment portion of the meeting. She said that in 2019, she contracted a post-viral condition that has lent her perspective on the matter.

“I’m OK now, but I saw first-hand that medicine does not always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses,” she said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown that into sharper relief.”

“One in 10 infections leads to long COVID, which is a devastating neurological [and] cardiovascular illness that can take away people's ability to work, move, see, and even think,” she said. She highlighted vulnerable populations that were especially susceptible to the effects of COVID-19.

“They do not keep us safer, they make vulnerable members of our community less safe and make everyone less able to participate in Los Angeles together," she said. Violet has been photographed out with her parents and stepmother Jennifer Lopez walking her talk, wearing a mask in public.

In her speech, Violet also advocated for “mask availability, air filtration, and far-UVC light in government facilities, including jails and detention centers, and mask mandates in county medical facilities.”

“Most importantly, the county must oppose mask bans for any reason,” she said.

Representatives for the LA County Board of Supervisors did not immediately respond to Vanity Fair's request for comment.