SAN DIEGO—The county Board of Supervisors voted 3–2 on Nov. 2 to keep a vaccine mandate for new employees in place, following a lengthy and occasionally contentious public hearing.
The new vote was taken in response to a letter challenging the mandate, which was originally passed on Oct. 5, also by a 3–2 vote. Board Chairman Nathan Fletcher, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, and Vice Chairwoman Nora Vargas voted yes. Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond were opposed.
The exact nature of the challenge to the mandate was not revealed, but it appeared to question the propriety of the original vote under the state’s open meeting law. County staff indicated the new vote was taken “in an abundance of caution.”
In August, the county adopted a policy requiring existing employees to either be fully vaccinated or take weekly COVID-19 tests. The mandate for vaccines applies to new county hires.
Tuesday’s meeting included some often-vitriolic public testimony, including one speaker who made a racially charged comment directed at county Public Health Director Dr. Wilma Wooten.
The remark prompted an angry response from Supervisor Vargas, who peppered her retort with an expletive.
Fletcher, the board chairman, said that while dissent is a healthy part of a functioning democracy, it has been sad to watch vaccine-mandate opponents launch personal attacks on board members and county officials simply because they don’t agree with their policies.
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