Virus halts work at state Senate
A lawmaker tests positive. Nearly 280 bills are left near end of legislative session.
SACRAMENTO — The California Senate canceled its floor session Wednesday after a Republican lawmaker from San Diego County tested positive for the coronavirus, complicating a hectic final week of legislative business at the state Capitol.
Sen. Brian Jones (R-Santee) confirmed Wednesday that he tested positive after his diagnosis sparked a chaotic morning in the Senate.
A second case was also identified, according to an email Secretary of the Senate Erika Contreras sent to lawmakers and their staffers later in the day. An officer with the California Highway Patrol tested positive after having last been inside the building Monday.
“The Senate will be prepared to continue our work when we have completed public health protocols to ensure that the risk of exposure has been eliminated,” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) said in a statement. “The Senate will use the tools available to us to make sure that we can complete necessary work prior to August 31.”
But with nearly 280 bills awaiting action, it’s unclear how the Senate plans to finish the year.
Atkins must decide whether the house should move to remote voting, or a hybrid model of in-person and virtual participation.
Jones had returned to the Capitol this week, and the Senate has been working to conduct “immediate contact tracing.” Several others have been warned that they could have been exposed to the virus.
Jones was diagnosed after he and other senators were tested in recent days. The Senate learned of the case after legislators met for a floor session Monday and Senate Republicans, including Jones, met in person for a caucus Tuesday.
Jones’ office said in a statement on Facebook that the senator plans to take additional tests to rule out the possibility of a false positive.
Jones has been a vocal opponent of remote voting. He issued a news release this month saying that lawyers for the Legislature have advised lawmakers that they must be physically present at hearings or on the floor in order to vote on legislation.