California lawmakers grapple with whether to impose a statewide COVID-19 vaccination mandate

After ceding power to Gov. Gavin Newsom throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, state lawmakers are now considering one of the most politically challenging government mandates yet: requiring Californians to show proof of vaccination to enter many indoor business establishments and forcing workers to get vaccinated or regularly tested.

Democratic legislators leading the conversation at the state Capitol believe mandates provide an opportunity to improve vaccination rates and help lessen the effects of the Delta variant spreading through California.

But the proposal, which is still in draft form and has not been introduced in a bill, requires weighing serious considerations such as enforcement, costs, implementation, the political will of the state Legislature and how such a sweeping statewide mandate could help or hurt Newsom’s chances of beating back a possible recall.

“There’s literally nothing more personal than taking the vaccine shot, so it’s going to elicit a reaction, no matter what,” said Robin Swanson, a Democratic political consultant. “I think that the Legislature doing this takes a little bit of heat off of the governor, but at the end of the day, the buck is always going to stop with the governor’s office.”

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