Voter survey shows support for vaccination requirements in Sonoma County

Part III of a series. See earlier stories at PressDemocrat.com.

In Sonoma County, where the Board of Supervisors has just approved a new policy requiring thousands of government employees to get vaccinated or be tested weekly for COVID-19, broad support exists for businesses adopting similar mandates, a Press Democrat survey has found.

The newspaper’s exclusive survey of 500 registered Sonoma County voters found 61% of respondents say businesses should be allowed to require vaccine verification for customers and employees, and 31% do not think businesses should be allowed to do so.

The survey was conducted in July for The Press Democrat by David Binder Research of San Francisco. The independent public opinion research firm also conducted a similar poll for The Press Democrat in May 2018.

The new poll showed the push for vaccine verification is gaining traction in Sonoma County as it takes hold in other parts of the Bay Area.

San Francisco on Friday became the first major city to require proof of full COVID-19 vaccination for patrons working out in gyms, eating inside restaurants and attending indoor concert venues. To comply with the mandate, the businesses will be asking customers for proof of vaccination before allowing them inside.

Sonoma County officials are urging businesses to begin adopting vaccine verification policies but have not mandated it.

However, county supervisors on Tuesday approved an order requiring county employees to either get fully vaccinated or be tested weekly. The mandate applies to about 4,400 employees, the largest single workforce in the county.

Separately, Santa Rosa City Council is set to consider on Aug. 31 a similar vaccination policy for the city’s 1,250 city employees.

The moves follow an announcement by the county two weeks ago that it would require all law enforcement, fire and emergency medical workers to be vaccinated by Sept. 1 or be tested weekly.

“One of the things that we really wanted to do was to set an example, which in a way provides employers who are interested in a similar path with a toolkit,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Lynda Hopkins.

Some Sonoma County restaurants have begun to require proof of vaccination but concerns about legality pose an obstacle for local businesses, especially for those that do not have a legal team as a resource, said Ethan Brown, director of business development and innovation with the county’s Economic Development Board.

“I think a lot of folks are afraid of potential legal ramifications and they don’t want to violate HIPAA or step on the wrong side of employee rights,” Hopkins said, referring to the federal law that safeguards patients’ medical information. “Those are the most common questions I’m hearing.”

While the county is helping businesses adapt their services, tap grant funding and recruit scarce workers amid the pandemic, officials are not able to assist local businesses with particular legal hurdles, Brown said.

The challenge has been a common sticking point since the pandemic’s beginning, he said.

Healdsburg resident David Jones, a respondent in The Press Democrat’s survey, is skeptical of the effectiveness of vaccine verification given the reported proliferation of fraudulent vaccine cards.

“The absolute answer is if you’re vaccinated or not, you can still spread the virus,” said Jones, 47.

While supportive of the vaccine campaign and science-driven policymaking, Jones sees masks as the more reliable public health safety measure at this point.

“We know that masking is one of the most effective means as far as interrupting transmission,“ said county Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase.

The county recently renewed its mandate requiring masking indoors.

Gloria Seymour, 58, a Rohnert Park resident and survey respondent, said she has been diligent about masking.

“I still wear my mask because I don’t trust humanity to do their part to help everybody else. The needs of the few are outweighing the needs of the many,” Seymour said, referring to some local residents decrying mask mandates and opposing the COVID-19 vaccine.

During Tuesday’s meeting when the board of supervisors approved its vaccine order, several residents accused the county of violating their rights.

But others are calling for greater public vigilance and more consistent public health safeguards. Instead of relaxing safety measures during the springtime drop in new COVID-19 cases, the county should have kept measures like the mask mandate in place, Seymour said.

“You can’t just drop everything,” she said. “Because it’s still here.”

While Seymour said she has gone to a restaurant and worn a mask, she has not patronized any bars because of the pandemic.

Jones, too, questioned the safety of bars being open during the surge.

Last weekend he said he passed a bar in Healdsburg and did not see anyone wearing masks or socially distancing.

“It just seems like we haven’t learned,” he said.

Healdsburg cocktail bar Duke’s Spirited Cocktails is not requiring vaccine verification for customers or employees but is sticking to the county’s mask mandate, General Manager Arron Flores said.

“All of us are vaccinated except for one person and we believe that’s his right to choose that,” Flores said.

Speaking personally and not for the bar, Flores said he did not think the solution to COVID-19 mitigation lies with vaccine verification. Partly because it excludes people and also because it could make customers feel unwelcome.

Flores initially did not want to get vaccinated but ended up doing so to protect his family.

“My child can’t get vaccinated and it worries me that she’s going to get sick,” Flores said.

As far as ordering all county businesses to require vaccine verification, Mase said the county is first going to see how it goes with emergency responders and county employees.

“What we’re trying to do is use a real data-driven approach,” Mase said.

Santa Rosa resident and survey respondent Cameron Otto, 36, said she supports the use of vaccine verification because “it would keep people safe.”

But Flores thinks the focus should be on educating people about the vaccine and the importance of protecting others.

“Pull on those heartstrings. Say, ‘Hey don’t do it for you, do it for someone else,’” Flores said. “It worked for me.”

As of Thursday, 72% of those eligible to be vaccinated in the county were fully vaccinated according to county data. The data also showed that 8% of eligible residents were partially vaccinated and 20% were not vaccinated.

“You have to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people,” Supervisor James Gore said.

Noting there is “no perfect approach,” Gore emphasized the need for the county to normalize discussions around vaccines.

Gore acknowledged that he has heard from first responders and others who do not want to get the vaccine. He added that he has also heard from businesses and local chambers of commerce that they are “exhausted” by people not getting vaccinated.

County employees who choose not to get vaccinated and do not get tested weekly risk losing their jobs under the new mandate.

“It’s like you still have the choice not to put something in your body but it means you might not have the same access to public service, public resources, that puts other people at risk,” Gore said.

Though consistent in its advocacy of vaccinations, the county has had to maintain flexible regarding mitigation measures like masking, Hopkins said.

“I know it’s been frustrating for everyone to feel like we’re sliding backwards,“ Hopkins said. ”I think that’s the world that we live in right now and we do need to be flexible.“

Concerns over another shutdown linger, but Gore said that mitigation measure is low on the country’s list of options.

“Unless there is some kind of game changer, like the vaccines and the boosters are not protecting people, there’s not going to be any shutdowns,” Gore said.

Still, with more latitude over indoor operations in the past two months, business owners are now feeling greater strain amid the surge in new cases, worse than any other other period aside from this past winter.

Duke’s Spirited Cocktails has seen a decline in business in the past week, Flores said. Wednesday marked a 20% to 30% decrease in sales compared to all other Wednesdays over the past few months.

While unsure if the dip is because of pandemic unease or the onslaught of wildfires and smoke, Flores said the folks who do come out do not seem very concerned about the highly transmissible delta variant.

Otto said her concern level is low because she and her family are vaccinated.

Asked for their broader outlook on the health of the economy and hopes pinned on a continued recovery, 51% of respondents said they think economic conditions will be better in a year and 27% said they will be worse.

“There’s nothing structurally wrong with the economy,” Brown said. “But for the coronavirus, we might still be on a pattern of unprecedented growth we were on before 2020.”

While there is building demand for hospitality services offered at hotels and restaurants, those hard-hit businesses are struggling to get fully staffed, Brown said.

They face a number of complicating factors. Unpredictability surrounding child care, fear regarding coronavirus exposure and reliance on unemployment benefits have all been raised as hurdles, Brown said.

With an eye on supporting businesses, Flores and Jones advocated for continuing programs such as the outdoor dining spaces created for restaurants and bars last year.

Many in Sonoma County appear to back those programs.

When asked if they supported the continuation of current outdoor dining spaces, 83% of respondents said yes while 10% said no.

“All these businesses took such a hit and it would be really nice to recoup those losses,” Flores said. “People love the options of being outdoors on a beautiful day.”

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.