Caballero Addresses Vaccines Without Parental Consent, Ag OT, Water
gvw_david_taub
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 2 years ago on
January 25, 2022
State Senator Anna Caballero, D-Merced, at a Fresno political rally on Jan. 21, 2022. (GV Wire/Liz Juarez)

Share

State Sen. Anna Caballero says she believes in COVID vaccines, but she is not sure about taking away parental consent for children to receive the shot.

Last week, state Sens. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, announced SB 866, a bill that allows children 12 and up to receive vaccines without parental consent.

The bill is one of several vaccine-related pieces of legislation that is expected to create a contentious debate over vaccines, COVID policy, and parental rights.

For example, Pan also introduced a bill on Monday that eliminates a personal belief exemption in school-based COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

At a political event last week, GV Wire asked Caballero, D-Merced, her thoughts on SB 866 and other key issues.

“(Sen. Wiener) does very challenging bills and the language becomes important to me, and I’m going to have to listen to what people have to say,” Caballero said.

But, she says she is uneasy with setting 12 as the age of consent without parental permission.

“I think it depends on the age of the kids, quite frankly. If you’re 16 or 17 and you want a vaccine and your parents don’t want you to, maybe you should have the right. But anybody younger than that, maybe not. I don’t know. I need to think about it and take a look at the language,” Caballero said.

Still Optimistic About Water Legislation

Last year, Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, introduced SB 559 to help repair water delivery systems. She pulled the bill after seeing its chances of approval wane.

Caballero is listed as a principal co-author.

“One of the challenges with working on bills is, there isn’t the opportunity to sit and get consensus and bring people that they don’t like the bill. And that’s what we need to do. We need to move it and we need to get the consensus,” Caballero said.

The bill passed last year in the Senate, but it stalled in the Assembly.

“There’s opposition to it, obviously, and the opposition is always from the environmentalist community that says, ‘Hey, we don’t want to be spending money on a federal project.’ We need to bring them on board and that’s in the Assembly. It’s not in the Senate right now. So we just need to keep working on it. And that’s part of the challenges with COVID is that we can’t socialize, we can’t get together, we can’t convene a group. We’ve got to do it virtually, and that’s a little bit more work,” Caballero said.

Caballero and Hurtado are headed to an election showdown. Both are running for Senate District 14, with the primary on June 7.

Changes to Ag Overtime Rule Unlikely

Recent changes to labor law allow agriculture employees to earn overtime after 40 hours in a week. There have been growing pains with the law, from both employersand employee. Workers have had hours cut to the 40-hour limit when they are used to working more.

The traditional overtime rules (more than eight hours a day and 40 hours a week) went into effect for employers with 26 or more workers on Jan. 1. The law, AB 1066, was passed in 2016. Caballero was not in the Legislature at the time.

“I’ve talked to a number of workers who have that same concern that they used to be able to work and wanted to work the extra hours. But because of the cost of overtime, they’re no longer working for that same company. It’s an issue, but it’s done. You know, I don’t see legislation coming back that’s going to change that, quite frankly,” Caballero said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

FresYes Fest Is Saturday: This Immigrant Is Living the American Dream With Xtreme Shawarma

DON'T MISS

Tech Lawyer and Philanthropist Nicole Shanahan Rumored as RFK Jr.’s VP Pick

DON'T MISS

Supreme Court Seems Favorable to Biden Administration Over Efforts to Combat Social Media Posts

DON'T MISS

Trump: Some Migrants Are ‘Not People’, There’ll Be a ‘Bloodbath’ if I Lose

DON'T MISS

Bredefeld, Chavez Win Attorneys Fees from Fresno County. Court Gives Chavez Blvd. a Green Light.

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Lawyers Say It Is Impossible for Him to Post Bond Covering $454 Million Civil Fraud Judgment

DON'T MISS

Special Congressional Election Tuesday. How Many Have Voted Already?

DON'T MISS

These Fresno Eclipse Chasers Are Hoping For 4 Minutes of Darkened Bliss in Texas

DON'T MISS

Hutson Is Done as Fresno State Basketball Coach After Tournament Loss

DON'T MISS

New Challenge to SW Fresno Industrial Project: SoCal Enviro Group Sues City, Developer

No data was found
David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

The 49ers Have Been Docked a 2025 Fifth-Round Draft Pick for an Accounting Error

9 hours ago

Fresno Bank Sued. It Allegedly Helped Bitwise Commit Fraud.

Bitwise /

9 hours ago

How California’s Prized Solution for Methane Gas Is Backfiring on Farmers

Environment /

12 hours ago

Supreme Court Seems Favorable to Biden Administration Over Efforts to Combat Social Media Posts

12 hours ago

Putin Extends Rule in Preordained Russian Election After Harshest Crackdown Since Soviet Era

12 hours ago

Ohtani to Begin Throwing Program Soon. Roberts Hints Dodgers Star Might Play in the Field

13 hours ago

Trump: Some Migrants Are ‘Not People’, There’ll Be a ‘Bloodbath’ if I Lose

13 hours ago

Tech Lawyer and Philanthropist Nicole Shanahan Rumored as RFK Jr.’s VP Pick

News /

13 hours ago

March Madness is Here. UConn, Purdue, Houston and North Carolina Get Top Seeding in NCAA Tournament

14 hours ago

Crafts Retailer Joann Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy as Consumers Cut Back on Pandemic-Era Hobbies

14 hours ago

Records Show That Valley Children’s Leader Suntrapak’s Pay Exceeds $5 Million

â– Valley Children’s paid CEO Todd Suntrapak $5.2 million in 2021. The hospital also gave him a $5 million forgivable home loan. â– The Va...
Healthcare /

8 hours ago

3 days ago

Realtor Association Settles Lawsuit on Commission Rules. Fresno Broker Fears the End of Market Transparency

3 days ago

Prosecutor Leaves Georgia Election Case Against Trump After Relationship With District Attorney

4 days ago

Rory McIlroy’s 65: 10 Birdies, 2 Tee Shots in the Water, 1 Testy Dispute

4 days ago

Aaron Donald Announces His Retirement After a Standout 10-Year Career With the Rams

4 days ago

New Book Explores the Myths, Truths and Legacy of the Macho Man

4 days ago

Baseball Superstar Ohtani and His Wife Arrive in South Korea for Dodgers-Padres MLB Opener

4 days ago

India’s New Citizenship Law Excludes Muslims. Here’s What to Know

4 days ago

US, G-7 Allies Warn Iran to Back Off Deal to Provide Russia Ballistic Missiles or Face New Sanctions

Photo of San Francisco 49ers' Arik Armstead

4 days ago

Former 49ers DT Arik Armstead Agrees to a 3-Year, $51 Million Deal with the Jaguars, AP Source Says

4 days ago

Supreme Court Rules Public Officials Can Sometimes Be Sued for Blocking Critics on Social Media

Search