Assembly, Senate delay work as cases soar
North Coast lawmakers say offices are working remotely
The California Senate will delay its work because of a coronavirus outbreak at the Capitol and an increasing number of new cases across the state.
The Senate had been scheduled to return from its summer recess on Monday. But a memo from Secretary of the Senate Erika Contreras says it won’t be in session next week because of the virus.
“We will continue to monitor the public health situation, and I will notify you as soon as it is determined an appropriate time to return to session,” Contrearas wrote.
North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire said his “there is an enormous amount of work that continues.”
“Our office is busier than ever helping communities, schools, health care institutions and the residents of the North Coast respond to this global pandemic,” McGuire said via email.
He added that lawmakers have prioritized some issues.
“The Senate took deliberative action earlier in the year to narrow our legislative package, strategically focusing bills primarily on COVID response, addressing our housing and homelessness crisis, wildfire response and power shutoffs, as well as passing a balanced budget,” he said.
The state Assembly has already announced an indefinite hiatus after six people who work there tested positive for the virus. They include Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, a Democrat from Inglewood, who was exposed to the virus on the Assembly floor last month while wearing a mask.
And Wednesday, Assemblyman Tom Lackey’s office confirmed the Republican lawmaker has been hospitalized since Sunday for COVID-19 complications.
“He is receiving excellent treatment at Palmdale Regional Medical Center and anticipates a full recovery,” George Andrews, Lackey’s chief of staff, posted to the assemblyman’s official Twitter account.
North Coast Assemblyman Jim Wood said his office is continuing to conduct business remotely. He said there are several bills the Assembly Health Committee he chairs will be discussing when the body reconvenes.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us, that’s for sure,” said Wood. “We’re all anxious to get back to our legislative work, but we need to make sure we do it in a way that protects all of us who work in the Capitol, including our staff and the many support services people who help us every day.”
Despite the recesses, lawmakers are scheduled to finish work on Aug. 31.
California lawmakers missed nearly two months of work earlier this year at the start of the pandemic. When they returned in May, they had to act quickly to approve a scaled down budget that included slashed spending and temporary tax increases for some businesses to cover an estimated $54.3 billion deficit.
Newsom signed that budget into law last month. Lawmakers then took a brief recess, planning to return to Sacramento on Monday to finish work on hundreds of bills on topics including housing and health care.
But hospitalizations from the virus have jumped 44% in the past two weeks, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered bars to close and restaurants to halt indoor dining in counties with troubling increases in cases, including Los Angeles and San Diego counties.