Vaccination bill passes California Senate; opponents vow fight

Actor Jenna Elfman, right, speaks to a reporter in opposition of SB 277, an effort to close California's vaccine loophole, at the State Capitol in Sacramento, California, May 14, 2015. The bill passed the senate Thursday and now moves onto the assembly. Elfman is opposed to SB277, but favors vaccinations. less Actor Jenna Elfman, right, speaks to a reporter in opposition of SB 277, an effort to close California's vaccine loophole, at the State Capitol in Sacramento, California, May 14, 2015. The bill passed the ... more Photo: Max Whittaker/Prime, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Max Whittaker/Prime, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Vaccination bill passes California Senate; opponents vow fight 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

Opponents of a proposed law that would mandate vaccination for all California schoolchildren vowed to continue fighting the legislation Thursday after it easily won approval by the state Senate.

Senate Bill 277, which would remove a long-standing exemption that allows parents to opt out of immunizing their children, still faces what may be tough scrutiny from the Assembly. The bill is expected to start making its way through Assembly committee discussions in July or August.

Parents and others on both sides of the issue said they will keep up their battle in the Assembly. Those in favor are joined by public health experts and the vast majority of doctors and health care providers who say childhood vaccinations are critical for protecting the health of the state.

But opponents, many of whom are parents who question the safety and efficacy of vaccines, say the legislation would infringe on parents’ rights to protect their own children. They said they’ll keep pushing against the bill in the Assembly and at the governor’s desk, if necessary.

“This is not the end,” said Jenna Elfman, a Los Angeles actress and mother who opposes SB277 and attended Thursday’s vote. Elfman said she vaccinates her own children, but believes parents “need to protect our rights.”

“People need to keep showing up and exercising their right to free speech,” Elfman said.

The state Senate approved the bill on a 25-10 vote, with all Bay Area senators voting in favor.

The legislation does away with personal belief exemptions, which have become increasingly popular over the past two decades with parents who have reservations about some or all childhood vaccinations. The overall vaccination rate in California is about 90 percent, but in pockets around the state it’s much lower — and those immunization gaps are what allow infectious diseases to spread, say public health experts.

California is among the most lenient states regarding vaccination requirements. It’s one of only 20 states that allow personal belief exemptions at all; another 28 states allow exemptions for religious reasons.

The legislation passed by the state Senate on Thursday would require children in both public and private schools to be vaccinated.

“Ultimately, our goal is boosting vaccination rates,” said state Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, who authored SB277 with state Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento. “We don’t need 100 percent vaccination rates. But we need them to be higher than they are now.”

The state Senate chambers Thursday morning were filled with parents, most of whom were opposed to the bill, watching the proceedings and silently expressing their dismay. Several times, groups of parents held their hands in the air with their thumbs turned down when legislators on the floor spoke in favor of the bill.

Parents opposed to SB277 said they aren’t necessarily against vaccinations, but are angry at the idea of the state forcing them to choose between immunizing their children and sending them to school. The decision to vaccinate children should be left to the mother or father and the child’s doctor, they say.

“Choice is key,” said mother Andrea Lewis, who came with a group of parents from Los Angeles to watch the vote. “Most of us vaccinate our kids. The main point is your right as a parent and your ability to choose what you give your children. It’s my decision. I should have that right.”

Pan and Allen put forth the bill in response to a measles outbreak that started at Disneyland in December and infected about 130 people in California by the time it was declared over last month. Epidemiological studies have shown that the illness spread so far, so fast due in large part to pockets of unvaccinated people, including children and young adults who were purposely not immunized.

Statewide, every year about 2.5 percent of all incoming kindergarteners — or about 13,500 children — start school not fully vaccinated because their parents signed a personal belief exemption. But in some counties, that percentage is much higher. In Marin County, which has the highest rate of personal belief exemptions in the Bay Area, 6.5 percent of children enter school under-vaccinated because their parents opt out.

The legislation would allow children to skip vaccinations with doctor-approved medical exemptions. But those exemptions are rare, given to less than 1 percent of entering kindergartners. The legislation would apply to children entering kindergarten and seventh grade — when a pertussis booster shot is required — along with students who are moving between school districts at any grade.

During Thursday’s state Senate debate, legislators rejected an amendment that would have allowed exemptions for religious reasons. Allen said religious exemptions may come up for debate in the Assembly, and he’s open to those discussions.

Pan said he sympathizes with parents who are concerned about vaccinating their children or have questions about vaccine safety. But it’s dangerous to overall public health to allow misinformation about safety and efficacy to spread, he said.

“We want to be sure people get accurate information,” Pan said. “We want to work with all families to help them be sure their children are safe and their children get educated.”

Leah Russin, a Palo Alto mother who founded Vaccinate California, which promotes efforts to make childhood immunizations mandatory, said that as the legislation moves into the Assembly, supporters need to be more vocal and keep pushing against opponents.

“The Senate vote is a major step forward toward better health,” Russin said. “I will keep encouraging people who support the bill to speak out. We can always do more.”

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: eallday@sfchronicle.com

How Bay Area senators voted

Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley: Yes

Mark Leno, D-San Francisco: Yes

Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont: Yes

Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo: Yes

Jim Beall, D-San Jose: Yes

Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg: Yes

Lois Wolk, D-Davis: Yes

Bill Monning, D-Carmel: Yes

Senators who voted against the vaccines bill

Joel Anderson, R-San Diego

Patricia Bates, R-Laguna Niguel

Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield

Ted Gaines, R-Rocklin

Connie Leyva, D-Chino

John Moorlach, R-Irvine

Mike Morrell, R-Rancho Cucamonga

Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber

Richard Roth, D-Riverside

Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster