SAN DIEGO —
The city of San Diego will impose its vaccine mandate on city employees, including police officers, despite strong opposition from the police union.
The San Diego Police Officers Assn. was the only of the city’s six labor unions to reach an impasse with the city over the mandate during several rounds of negotiations.
About 37% of roughly 1,900 police officers on the force — 709 — were unvaccinated as of last week, according to the city. Overall, about 20% of the city’s workforce — about 2,000 employees — remained unvaccinated.
During a special meeting Monday, the San Diego City Council, in a pair of 8-1 votes, agreed to move forward with the mandate, which requires employees to show proof of full vaccination or request a medical or religious exemption by Wednesday. Noncompliant employees will have 30 days to comply; otherwise they will face termination.
As of last week, the city had received 394 requests for exemptions, including 167 from officers, according to the city.
“The way out of this pandemic is through vaccines,” Mayor Todd Gloria said, “and the city of San Diego should lead by example.”
He said it was a matter of public safety for employees and members of the public with whom they interact, as well as a necessary step for the city to efficiently provide services. The pandemic, he said, has challenged the city’s ability to provide services, such as trash collection.
Councilmember Chris Cate cast the dissenting vote. He said he is vaccinated but...
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