Senate Creates Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response

On Wednesday, Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins announced the creation of the Senate Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response, a bipartisan committee of eleven senators to review the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee will explore what has gone well and what could be improved regarding the state’s planning and response activities, as well as make findings are recommendations for future pandemic preparedness.

The special committee will be chaired by Senator Lena Gonzalez, vice chaired by Senator Patricia Bates, and will include Senators Andreas Borgeas, Anna Caballero, Bill Dodd, Hannah-Beth Jackson, Brian Jones, Mike McGuire, Richard Pan, Thomas Umberg, and Scott Wiener. At the time of publication, the special committee’s first hearing date has not yet been set.

The full announcement from Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins is available here.