California Lawmakers Absent After Possible Virus Exposure at Party

Some California lawmakers including Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon missed Thursday's legislative league aft attending a enactment with a lawmaker who aboriginal tested affirmative for the coronavirus.

Rendon, who has since tested negative, instructed anyone who attended the Tuesday enactment to enactment location alternatively than be the session, his spokeswoman Katie Talbot said successful a statement. State wellness guidelines don’t necessitate radical who are vaccinated and boosted to isolate pursuing imaginable exposure, but Rendon made the petition retired of caution, she said.

The lawsuit was a going distant enactment for erstwhile Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who announced Monday she was resigning for a presumption with the California Labor Federation, the Los Angeles Times reported. The enactment was held astatine a downtown Sacramento hotel.

Twenty-seven Assembly members missed Thursday’s session, but immoderate were absent for different reasons, the Times reported. This is the legislature’s archetypal week of league since September and nary large votes took place. The enclosure traditionally has 80 members, though a fistful of seats are vacant owed to mid-term resignations.

Democratic Sen. Josh Becker was the lawmaker who tested affirmative for the virus, which helium announced Wednesday greeting connected Twitter. He is vaccinated, boosted and wore an N95 mask, helium told the Times. Gonzalez tweeted Thursday she tested antagonistic and had worn an N95 disguise erstwhile she wasn't eating oregon drinking.

Talbot said she did not cognize however galore Assembly members attended the lawsuit and however galore had been asked to enactment astatine home. The adjacent league time is Monday, and Assembly members volition beryllium required to trial earlier being allowed connected the floor, she said.

Senate Secretary Erika Contreras said successful a connection immoderate senators astatine the gathering for Gonzalez were told to quarantine for 5 days and past instrumentality a PCR coronavirus test. Eight retired of 40 senators were absent from Thursday's session, though Contreras said absences could besides beryllium owed to idiosyncratic oregon concern reasons. Republican authorities Sen. Scott Wilk was among those who were absent; helium announced Monday he'd tested affirmative for the microorganism the time before.

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkin's bureau didn't instantly respond to an email asking however galore senators were absent Thursday owed to that protocol.