Breast Cancer Awareness special section INSIDE
MEL: ’Dogs favored but have fight on their hands B1
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dailyrepublic.com | Well said. Well read.
Biden signs spending bill to avert partial gov’t shutdown Tribune Content Agency
Courtesy of NorthBay Healthcare
Respiratory therapist Brad Boyd was the first NorthBay Healthcare employee to receive the Covid-19 Pfizer
vaccine in December 2020, and on Tuesday was among the first to receive the booster dose.
Protecting workers Local health care agencies work to meet state employee vaccination mandate deadline
Matt Miller
mmiller@dailyrepublic.net
FAIRFIELD — The deadline arrived Thursday for California health care workers who were facing a state mandate to be vaccinated against Covid-19 or face consequences. Local health organizations such as NorthBay Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health had been preparing employees for more than a month since the mandate came out from Dr. Tomas J. Aragon, the state’s public health officer. Most were reporting vaccination rates well over 90% and the numbers continued to grow up until the deadline. Only those with verified and documented reasons for not getting vaccinated, such as health concerns or prohibited by
INSIDE State reporting delays skew Solano Covid case numbers. Page A3.
religious beliefs, were exempt. Those who don’t follow the vaccine requirement for approved reasons will be be tested twice a week going forward and required to wear a mask, though most hospital employees are already required to wear masks. “The California Department of Public Health expects all health care entities that are subject to the state Public Health Order issued on Aug. 5 to be in full compliance effective (Thursday),” said Aragon, in a statement emailed to the Daily Republic. “This critically important mandate is designed to increase the number of individuals who are vaccinated
and importantly protect health care workers, and our communities. The only way for us to turn the corner on this pandemic is for those who are unvaccinated to get vaccinated.” According to the state Department of Public Health, as of Tuesday, state health departments reported 124,934 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 500 deaths statewide. “The vaccination mandate by the California Department of Public Health affects only a very small percentage of our staff,” said Steve Huddleston, vice president of public affairs for NorthBay Healthcare. “We informed all those affected (Thursday) that they are in violation of the terms of their employment and they will See Health, Page A8
Vacaville schools spend big to fill teacher, para-educator needs K aty St. Clair
katy@dailyrepublic.com
VACAVILLE — The Vacaville school board unanimously approved a contract with Cross Country Education to hire much-needed teachers and para-professionals to assist in every school in the district. The decision was made during a special board meeting on Wednesday. Chris Hulett, assistant superintendent of Human Resources, told the board that the need for substitute teachers is actually down, but unfor-
tunately, so is the job pool of subs, leaving schools scrambling to cover classes. The district’s need for paraprofessionals is also at an “emergency” status, kitzes with only 53% of those positions filled. Para-professionals fill many important roles in the classroom, but the shortage has created a backlog of IEPs – IndiEducation vidualized Plans – being created for students, which could present a liability, the
SUNDAY
Parade coming this weekend. Look for the insert in the DR.
board reported. Cross Country, based in Woodland Hills, will provide at least one teacher per school each day, which the site principal can use wherever is needed most. The cost for the district will be around $300,000, but not to exceed $500,000, according to the board action. The funds will come from Covid-19 relief monies. The item to approve this contract first came before the board
on Sept. 23, but was tabled until the trustees received the information on cost, which is $395 per teacher or para-professional per day. Board President Michael Kitzes said last week that the cost put him in a “state of shock” and he estimated that pay like that would amount to $2,000 a week per staff, or $100,000 a year – far more than district paraprofessionals make. “It’s uncomfortable,” he said. Some members of the board empathized with See Schools, Page A8
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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed a stopgap funding measure Thursday with hours to spare before federal agencies would otherwise have to start shutting down. The continuing resolution gives lawmakers and the White House nine more weeks to reach agreement on spending levels and negotiate a dozen fiscal 2022 appropriations bills. The temporary spending bill, which cleared the House earlier in the day on a 254-175 vote, is “not a permanent
solution,” House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said during debate. “I look forward to soon beginning negotiations with my counterparts across the aisle and across the Capitol to complete fullyear government funding bills that reverse decades of disinvestment.” Thirty-four Republicans joined all Democrats to back the stopgap measure in that chamber. The House in July passed nine of its 12 spending bills, at allocations Republicans See Biden, Page A8
Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., participates in a signing ceremony for H.R. 5305, the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Thursday.
Newsom OKs sweeping reforms to law enforcement Tribune Content Agency SACRAMENTO — More than a year after George Floyd’s death, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a stack of bills on Thursday aimed at holding California law enforcement officers accountable for misconduct and restricting uses of force that have resulted in death and injury. The eight measures signed into law by Newsom include raising the minimum age for police officers from 18 to 21, and allowing their badges to be permanently taken away for excessive force, dishonesty and racial bias. In addition, the
new laws set statewide standards on law enforcement’s use of rubber bullets and tear gas for crowd control, and further restrict the use of techniques for restraining suspects in ways that can interfere with breathing. Newsom’s approval of the slate of sweeping new legislation in California comes in contrast to a lack of progress made on police reform efforts in Congress, where bipartisan negotiations on law accountenforcement ability measures recently reached an impasse after months of negotiations. “I am here as governor mindful that we are in See Law, Page A8
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