SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For the first time, lawmakers debated the merits of continuing Governor Gavin Newsom's state of emergency Monday.
The resolution to end it, however, failed in the committee by a vote of 8 to 4.
It’s been 741 days since Governor Newsom first declared a state of emergency.
“Many of the groups and individuals who oppose this resolution think that the state's COVID response will come to a crashing halt and it doesn't work that way,” Senator Melissa Melendez (R) said.
It’s been 448 days since Senator Melendez first introduced her legislation to end the state of emergency.
“if California is truly in a better place to handle future events like COVID, then it should allow emergency assistance to be determined at the local level,” Melendez said.
It was debated for the first time Monday.
“This is not the time for the legislature to get involved in an emergency as it is winding down," California Professional Firefighters President Brian Rice said. "This is a virus that mutates and changes.”
Names like Rice and others like the Hospital Association, the Labor Federation, Oakland and LA Mayors and the State Association of Counties all weighed in on their strong opposition.
“It would end some of our funding because we do get funding through FEMA," said Kathryn Austin Scott with the California Hospital Association.
Democrat Senator Ben Allen said he knows the state of emergency needs to end at some point, and could see himself voting on a version of it in the future. He asked in the committee meeting how long the duration of the state of emergency declaration should be.
“I don't think any of us here are qualified to say when this should end. I think that the governor and Dr. (Mark) Ghaly, they have a team in place of medical professionals, medical scientists and a delivery system across California," Rice said. "We need to follow them.”
Melendez did not like the answer.
“So it goes on forever?" she said in her closing remarks. "Because that's what the suggestion was today, that it just goes on forever until Dr. Ghaly or somebody else in public health decides that it's over.”
Committee Chair Senator Bill Dodd (D) weighed in on his decision to vote against it saying there was no playbook on how to handle a pandemic, but he thinks Newsom got it largely right.
Dodd granted Melendez reconsideration on the bill, which means she can bring it up again for a vote in the future.
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