Lawmakers shelve vaccine bills — for now
SACRAMENTO (AP) — California’s progressive state Legislature has shelved bills aimed at requiring workers to either be vaccinated or get weekly Coronavirus testing to keep their jobs, punting on a debate about vaccine mandates just days before the state’s Democratic governor faces a recall election.
California is already at the forefront the debate around vaccine mandates, with Gov. Gavin Newsom ordering all of the state’s roughly 2.2 million health care workers to either get vaccinated or lose their jobs while also directing state workers and teachers to either get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.
Democrats in the state Legislature were crafting a pair of bills behind the scenes during the final two weeks of the session that would have gone further by either aiding or expanding those orders to include workers in both the public and private sectors.
One bill by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks would have required all workers to either receive the Coronavirus vaccine or submit to weekly testing. Another bill by Assemblyman Evan Low sought to make sure state law protected businesses that chose to require their workers to be vaccinated while also extending paid sick leave for up to 40 hours per week for anyone who can’t work because of the virus.
Wicks announced last week she would not pursue her bill this year. Low’s bill was still alive this week, and the Democratic Assemblyman from San Jose said he had secured agreements from both business and labor interests. But bills had to be introduced by Wednesday for lawmakers to vote on them this year, and Low missed that deadline.
Both lawmakers indicated they would try again next year.
“We unfortunately ran out of time,” Low said. “While I’m disappointed we will not be passing a bill that would have created greater safeguards for workers and employers, I will continue to exhaust all legislative avenues when it comes to protecting the health and prosperity of all Californians.”
Both bills’ demise did not stop more than a thousand people from gathering outside of the state Capitol Wednesday for a rally opposing vaccine mandates. People marched around the Capitol in the midday heat, toting signs that read “Oppose vaccine mandates or they will never end” and “Nothing warrants removal of medical choice” while vendors hawked smoothies from the sidewalk.