As Los Angeles's city attorney is set to draft a vaccination requirement for most indoor venues, a similar policy could be adopted statewide if a recent push by Sacramento lawmakers is successful.
The proposed vaccination bill is being fast-tracked to make the legislature's September 10 deadline.
If it passes, California would become the first state to mandate inoculations for entrance into most indoor businesses, such as restaurants, bars, movie theaters, hotels and other establishments.
To accelerate the process, several state lawmakers gutted a bill requiring bus-only lanes on the Bay Bridge and replaced it with what could be the strictest vaccination law in the nation.
"I really call upon a cultural shift for all of us to ensure that we’re being vaccinated." State Assembly Member Buffy Wicks of Oakland said last month. "Asking our employers to require proof of vaccination, ensuring that we continue to fulfill this drumbeat of making sure people get vaccinated."
"Unfortunately we’re seeing a little bit of vaccination rates leveling out, so it’s time we take bold steps and bold action to ensure that we continue to increase our vaccination rates," she added.
The bill does have exemptions for children under 12 and people with religious or medical excuses.
It’s likely to face opposition from business groups.
If approved by two-thirds of the legislature and signed by the governor, The new vaccination rules would go into effect immediately. However, the state Department of Public Health would have until November 1 to develop an enforcement mechanism, according to the Sacramento Bee.
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