California Legislature delays return to Capitol, citing coronavirus pandemic

The California Legislature pushed back its scheduled return to the Capitol by three weeks to give public health officials more time to deal with the coronavirus spreading through the state, Democratic leaders announced on Friday.

The Legislature now is scheduled to reconvene on May 4. Lawmakers had voted unanimously on March 16 to suspend its session until April 13.

At that time, the coronavirus had infected hundreds and killed six people. The numbers have since grown to at least 10,700 cases and 237 deaths, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, said in a joint statement that the original return date is no longer feasible.

“Our priority continues to be bending the curve of infection,” they said. “We must continue to support the efforts of our first responders and health care personnel.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom had said in recent days that the legislative calendar remained “fluid” and that the world had “radically changed” since mid-March.

“There is no time certain to come back in session,” Newsom said. “I don’t have an update for you in that space. It’s their houses, and we will support them and accommodate them.”

Atkins and Rendon both said they were working with the governor “to ensure effective deployment of state resources.”

Before their recess, the Senate and Assembly each gathered for about seven hours to pass a relief package to send $1.1 billion in support to hospitals, facilities, local governments and schools to mitigate the spread of the virus called COVID-19.

“Responding to the coronavirus is one of the biggest challenges to face the California Legislature in modern times,” Atkins said in March. “The responsible thing for us to do is flatten the curve, reduce transmission, keep our health care system above water. That is the intent of the action we are taking.”

Rendon said he is still working in the Capitol with a handful of staff who are helping coordinate the Legislature’s emergency response to the pandemic. He said that lawmakers are working in their district and will get to Sacramento as soon as public health officials deem it safe to return.

“We have serious work to do in Sacramento and we need to make sure that we do that,” he said.

The speaker said it’s unclear what committee hearings, floor sessions and deadlines will look like when they do return, but Newsom said his January budget proposal “is no longer operable.”

This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 6:00 PM.