Why would it be absurd to cite political rallies? Surely you can't believe that you couldn't get the virus at a political rally. Are you so conceited to believe that since Trump didn't have a rally in California that people couldn't have transmitted the virus and his many rallies in Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oklahoma etc?
I don't know how things have or haven't changed in California. I know around here, indoor dining was not allowed, big box stores and grocery stores had capacity limits and lines in front of them, salons and gyms were closed. Now all that is allowed, with some capacity limits on dining indoors and gyms. I've also noticed an increase in social gatherings in homes and half masking in stores. I'm not surprised that the virus is surging.