California Senate will debate ending Gavin Newsom’s COVID emergency, leader says
The California Senate next month will begin debating an end to the state’s COVID emergency – an announcement that comes on the same day Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out his post-pandemic strategy.
Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, said the Governmental Organization Committee will hold a March 15 hearing on Senate Concurrent Resolution 5, which would end the state of emergency Newsom declared in March 2020.
Sen. Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, introduced the resolution in December 2020, but Democratic lawmakers haven’t debated it until now. Melendez introduced an earlier version of the resolution in July 2020, but it died in the Senate Rules Committee.
“The committee will debate the merits of the resolution and the implications it will have on California’s ability to respond to the COVID emergency,” Atkins said in a news release. “I understand we are all tired of living life in an emergency, but ending the emergency must be done responsibly to ensure there are no unintended consequences so we can continue to meet the need of our state’s residents in an unpredictable future.”
Newsom has faced criticism for repeatedly extending the state of emergency during the course of nearly three years. This was especially true in June 2021, when the state first began lifting pandemic restrictions.
“Since the governor refuses to relinquish his crown, the Legislature should pass SCR 5 and do it for him,” said Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, in June 2021.
The emergency declaration gives California leaders access to federal funding, but it also gives Newsom additional powers and allows him to override certain state laws.
New Republican calls to end emergency order
“I appreciate the majority party agreeing to hear SCR 5, even though it’s taken almost two years to get a hearing,” Melendez said in a news release on Thursday. “I’m encouraged the majority party has finally agreed to join my effort to at least debate the merits of ending the state of emergency and again making the Legislature an equal branch of government.”
Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, responded to Newsom’s COVID plan announcement by pushing lawmakers to end the governor’s emergency order.
“Today Governor Newsom acknowledged that California must move forward from the pandemic, but his actions say otherwise,” Kiley said in a news release. “He recommitted to continuing a school mask mandate that a bipartisan coalition of governors across the nation has ended. Now more than ever we need the state Legislature to act with urgency and return power to local communities by ending the state of emergency.”
Newsom and health officials have said they will revisit the school mask order soon and will likely set a date for lifting the mandate on Feb. 28.
In her news release, Atkins noted that many states of emergency extend for years, and she said Newsom’s executive orders have given California leaders more flexibility to respond to the ever-changing pandemic.
“In addition to the pandemic state of emergency, California has dozens of open state of emergencies related to drought, wildfires, and other natural disasters where recovery and clean up continue,” Atkins said in the release. “A majority of these emergency declarations have been active for years and remain in place to ensure that communities can recover and needed federal funding is provided to assist in the clean-up and relief efforts.”
“Under the current pandemic emergency declaration, there are a number of active executive orders that allow the state to quickly purchase and distribute COVID test kits to schools, administer vaccines, provide test results, and keep our workplace protocols in line with public health orders,” Atkins added. “Additional information on the hearing will be made available through the committee.”
This story was originally published February 17, 2022 at 12:49 PM.