Citrus Heights passes ‘personal choice’ resolution regarding COVID vaccine
The Citrus Heights City Council passed a resolution Thursday “expressing support for citizens’ individual rights and choice as it relates to the COVID-19 vaccine.”
The resolution states support for “individuals and families living in our community to direct their own health futures.”
“I believe in the vaccine, but my personal choice is that I also believe in liberty,” said Councilman Tim Schaefer, adding that he got vaccinated in February.
Councilman Bret Daniels at the end of the previous council meeting Oct. 14 had suggested a stronger item that would prohibit any vaccine mandate for city employees, prohibit “vaccine passports anywhere in the city” and oppose vaccine and mask mandates in schools.
Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins said she would prefer a resolution worded to encourage choice, not prohibition, while Mayor Steve Miller noted that schools are not within city council purview.
The resolution presented Thursday did not specifically address vaccine requirements for city employees, but Daniels said: “We’re letting our employees through this resolution know that we believe they have a choice, and they should be able to choose what they want to do in regards to getting a vaccination or not.”
“The virus is real. The vaccine can be effective, and if you want to take one you should,” he said. “And if you don’t want to take one, you shouldn’t have to.”
Miller voiced his opposition to the resolution.
“A recommendation for a vaccine mandate is not in front of us tonight, and quite frankly, would not be within our purview to create such mandates for schools, other public agencies (or) private businesses,” Miller said.
“Not one of us here is a physician. It only politicizes this whole COVID discussion.”
He said he was particularly concerned about a section in the draft resolution regarding schools.
Section 2 of Thursday’s draft resolution originally read: “The City Council encourages families to voice their opposition and concerns regarding mandates for students to be vaccinated or wear a mask.”
“This language does not sound like a resolution promoting choice,” Miller said. “It sounds like the Citrus Heights City Council is providing direction for you to oppose measures to keep our children safe.”
Other council members suggested changing the word “opposition” to “position” to maintain neutrality.
Daniels reintroduced the motion with this change in wording. It passed 4-1, with Miller voting no.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in early October that California will require K-12 children to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend school in-person, once a vaccine is fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the appropriate age groups.
Miller noted, as Newsom has multiple times, that K-12 children are currently required to receive a number of vaccinations, including for polio, measles and chicken pox, to attend school.
Daniels contracted the coronavirus this July. In public Facebook posts, he compared it to being “beaten with a baseball bat.”
He was not vaccinated, and he wrote that he went to a hospital and received Regeneron’s antibody cocktail treatment.
“If you even THINK you might have Covid, get to the doctor and tell them you want Regeneron,” Daniels wrote in a September post.
Daniels announced earlier this year that he plans to run for the U.S. Representative seat for California’s 7th Congressional District, currently held by Ami Bera, a physician.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 9:29 AM.
