As Palo Alto moves ahead with reopening in-person services at City Hall, the city is considering whether to institute a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for city employees, a move that has already been made by Santa Clara County, San Francisco and other jurisdictions around the state.

The topic of a vaccine requirement was among those that the City Council was scheduled discuss on Monday night in a closed session, City Manager Ed Shikada confirmed. The discussion pertains to all major labor groups, including the police and firefighter unions, the Service Employee International Union, Local 521, and the Utilities Management and Professional Association of Palo Alto, according to the agenda. It was be the first item that the council took up after its summer recess, a period that has seen an escalation in COVID-19 cases.

The discussion, which concluded with no reportable action, followed reports that the city's Police Department has been lagging behind other area emergency response agencies when it comes to vaccinations. While 97% of the city's Fire Department has reported being vaccinated, only 60% of the police officers reported having done so as of June 18, according to a county survey. By contrast, Mountain View police had a vaccination rate of 73% as of late June (it rose to 84% as of July 22).

When asked about the department's low vaccination rate, Palo Alto Police Chief Robert Jonsen said he believes the percentage of officers who are vaccinated is higher than 60%. Some officers, he noted, may have been vaccinated but are choosing to protect their right to privacy. In fact, 24% of the officers surveyed declined to state their vaccination status (only 6% reported they were not vaccinated).

Jonsen noted that various jurisdictions are now trying to raise their vaccination rates by requiring vaccinations.

"If the city of Palo Alto does that, that will change our number as well," Jonsen said.

Not everyone is thrilled about the new mandates. San Francisco's announcement of a vaccine requirement has triggered a backlash from the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs' Association, which issued a statement claiming that a vaccine mandate will require some deputy sheriffs to retire early or seek employment elsewhere. The statement noted that most deputy sheriffs are vaccinated, though approximately 160 out of 700 "prefer to mask and test weekly instead of being vaccinated due to religious and other beliefs."

Jonsen said that he would support a vaccine mandate, though he noted that the new policy should make accommodations for those with "legitimate exceptions." The county's vaccine mandate, for instance, allows county employees to request exemptions for religious or medical reasons.

"In a perfect world, I support it," Jonsen said of a vaccine mandate. "But if people choose not to do it for various reasons — because there are legitimate exceptions — that they're at least willing to have mandatory testing done each week."