State Senators: Nearly all in GOP quarantined

SACRAMENTO — Nearly every Republican in the California Senate was forced to stay away from the Capitol on Thursday as they quarantined after coming into close contact with a fellow senator who later tested positive for the coronavirus.

The unprecedented move, during legislators’ pivotal final week in session, came a day after Sen. Brian Jones, RSantee (San Diego County), tweeted that he had been infected with the virus. The Senate canceled its session Wednesday while it conducted contact tracing and informed anyone who may have been exposed.

Republican senators gathered with Jones on Tuesday at a caucus lunch, where they removed their masks to eat, Capitol staffers said. Many

“Our clock is running out. We have work to do, and we have limited time.”

President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, after a request to end the Senate’s session

also attended a Monday night social dinner where Jones was present.

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins opened Thursday’s session by telling senators that the exposed legislators would be allowed to vote remotely while they are tested for the coronavirus and await results.

She said the move is necessary because most GOP senators “are now unable to enter the Capitol without violating public health orders” and lawmakers have limited time to pass legislation before they are required to adjourn Monday.

Republican senators did not immediately start remote voting Thursday, and it wasn’t clear when the practice would begin.

Sen. Jim Nielsen, RRed Bluff (Tehama County), protested the move on the Senate floor. Nielsen, the only senator from the 11member Republican caucus present Thursday, said he had not attended the lunch or dinner with his colleagues.

“Why not shut it down now until we get all tested?” Nielsen said. “It’s not lost that I am the only Republican here. So I get to be the voice ... of 9 million people that my colleagues represent?”

Atkins, DSan Diego, rejected Nielsen’s request. She said the Senate had adopted policies this spring directing all 40 members to adhere to public health guidelines “so we wouldn’t put ourselves in the position to not be able to be here.”

“Our clock is running out,” Atkins said. “We have work to do, and we have limited time.”

The Legislature’s session is scheduled to end at midnight Monday. Any bills that have not passed both the Senate and Assembly by then are dead.

A California Highway Patrol officer who was in the Capitol on Tuesday has also tested positive for the coronavirus, the Senate revealed in an internal memo. The officer “had no contact with senators or Senate staff,” the memo said.

The Assembly met as scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday, even though the chamber is located a short distance across the Capitol from the Senate. The Assembly has allowed proxy voting for the most vulnerable members, those who are older than 65 or have health conditions.

The Legislature has repeatedly delayed business this year because of the coronavirus pandemic and concerns for the safety of lawmakers and staffers. Most recently, legislators extended their summer recess by two weeks as coronavirus cases surged across California in July.

People entering the Capitol on Thursday were required to have their temperatures checked and undergo a coronavirus screening. Senate officials said the chamber was also deepcleaned Wednesday.