Capitol employees asked to submit vaccine status as California Legislature moves to reopen

Employees for the California state Assembly and Senate are being asked to submit their COVID-19 vaccination status as a way to assess whether the building is ready to safely reopen to more people.

In nearly identical memos sent to staffers on Tuesday, Assembly Rules Committee Chief Administrative Officer Debra Gravert and Secretary of the Senate Erika Contreras requested employees and members to electronically or physically submit their vaccine record cards to Capitol Health Services.

“As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to decrease, vaccination rates increase, and the state begins to reopen more broadly, the Assembly must once again take steps to assess health and safety in our workplace and determine safe and appropriate staffing levels,” Gravert wrote in her memo. “A critical factor in determining staffing levels is to identify the vaccination rate of our workforce in the State Capitol, the Legislative Office Building, and district offices throughout the state.”

The two also asked those who are not yet vaccinated but have an appointment to “provide notice” of their plans, and recommended making an appointment “as soon as possible” for anyone who hadn’t.

Gravert and Contreras also said only proof of vaccination is necessary, “nothing else that would disclose an underlying medical condition.”

“While the Senate will continue to implement health and safety measures to reduce the potential risk of transmission of and exposure to the COVID-19 virus in the workplace, among the most important measures to reduce possible injury or illness from COVID-19 infections is to get vaccinated,” Contreras wrote.

The California Capitol closed its doors to the general public more than a year ago as the COVID-19 outbreak took hold in Golden State. Since then, the building has been missing the swarms school kids on field trips, gaggles of reporters and lobbyists who typically crowd its hallways.

For many months, senators and Assembly members were only allowed one employee in the office at a time. Public testimony on legislation was largely taken via telephone.

But as vaccination rates increased and California’s positivity rate plummeted, the Assembly on March 19 began allowing two staff members in Capitol offices.

A month later, the Statehouse Eatery also opened for light, to-go meals like coffee, pastries, sandwiches and soup in the basement restaurant.

As of April 20, the Assembly and Senate hadn’t yet made a decision for a return date for all employees.

Both the Assembly and Senate require face masks and social distancing. They also created a list of sanitation and public health policies to keep people healthy safe.

People who enter the Capitol have their temperature taken, and senators sit behind plexiglass at their desks during floor sessions. When possible, senators have been able to participate remotely. The Assembly also instituted a proxy voting policy.

Both Gravert and Contreras said in the latest memo that collecting vaccination data can help the Assembly and Senate in their “enormous undertaking of governing and legislating while balancing the health and safety” of employees, lawmakers and the public.

“Again, in order to make informed decisions regarding staffing and moving toward reopening, it is imperative that the Assembly/Senate be able to get a clear idea of our vaccination numbers,” the two added. “Thank you for assisting us with this crucial safety planning.”

This story was originally published April 27, 2021 at 1:45 PM.