PIEDMONT — At the request of Mayor Teddy Gray King, the City Council has voted to implement a mandatory vaccination policy for all full- and part-time city employees, which may or may not pass legal muster.
Brian Gidney, president of Piedmont Firefighters Local 2683, said his bargaining unit does not support a vaccination mandate. Piedmont police Chief Jeremy Bowers said he is not aware of the police officers association registering a formal objection to the policy.
Longtime firefighter/engineer Alan Grace sent 60-plus pages of reasons to the city explaining why he believes a vaccine mandate is unacceptable. The compilation included information about clinical trials, medical journals, peer studies, side effects and links to the CDC, FDA and U.S. Constitution, among others.
“We as Americans are having our freedoms stripped away. There is an agenda being pushed and driven by fear,” Grace said. “Let (the city’s) employees choose to be vaccinated or not; do not push this unconstitutional mandate on them. Whether I am vaccinated or not, I will still protect and serve the citizens of Piedmont.”
Some key provisions of the proposed mandate are that vaccination and reporting requirements would be conditions of employment; all city employees must be fully vaccinated; employees would include city officers, volunteers, interns, full- and part-time workers and on-site contractors. Failure to comply could result in discipline up to and including termination.
Grace isn’t the only objector. According to August news reports, Piedmont resident Liz Wilner allegedly acknowledged her role with a major anti-vaccination website, OpenVAERS, that supports claims of adverse effects from vaccinations. She has been against vaccinations since 2019, a report stated. Wilner could not be reached for comment by the Piedmonter. Despite various objections, City Administrator Sara Lillevand said protect its employees and fulfilling its obligations to the public is the city responsibility.
“The city must provide a safe and healthy workplace, consistent with COVID public health guidance and legal requirements,” she said.
Exceptions to the policy would include those with medical conditions that prevent receiving a vaccination, or a strong religious exemption to being vaccinated. Council members noted that they believe Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco are also working on vaccination mandates for their city employees. Around the state, many police departments such as Los Angeles and elsewhere are objecting to any vaccination mandates, saying that encroaches on personal freedoms of choice. Councilman Tim Rood said it’s a moral imperative to adopt a policy, and King concurred.
“Addressing the COVID pandemic is the most important thing I’m doing as mayor right now,” King said. “Every day I hear from residents and kids that it’s time to move on. The only way to do that is for every eligible person to be fully vaccinated. If you want to work for the city — and these are great jobs — you have to be vaccinated.”
Councilwoman Jen Cavenaugh said that “We do not take this lightly. It’s with a heavy heart that we go down this path.”
There were no comments from the public at the Sept. 7 council meeting. City Clerk John Tulloch has said a high percentage of Piedmont residents are vaccinated. The Piedmont Unified School District held a free vaccination clinic for all on Sept. 1. School spokesman Brian Killgore said there were about a dozen who took the vaccine and that a discussion had been held on student vaccines at the PUSD’s Aug. 25 meeting. Families of Piedmont students in grades six through 12 were sent a request to provide proof of vaccination for their students ages 12 and older. Of the 1,451 students’ families contacted, 417 responses were received with 353 providing proof of vaccination.
“There is currently no education code, state or federal law, or case history that covers mandating COVID vaccines for students,” Killgore said. “Policy can be drafted mandating student vaccines, or a similar policy as with staff — to provide proof of vaccination or undergo weekly testing.”
The city has a COVID resource and information page at piedmont.ca.gov/government/covid-19 with links to the Alameda County Health Department. Officials with the city will speak to bargaining groups to gauge their positions on vaccination mandates as they move forward.
Linda Davis is a longtime Piedmont correspondent. Contact her with news tips or comments at dlinda249@gmail.com.
