SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — City of San Diego workers are preparing to speak out against the upcoming vaccine mandate. From police to lifeguards, San Diego employees will voice their opposition at a conference next Friday, Oct. 22. One big concern is losing hundreds of law enforcement officers who could be fired if they don't get the vaccine.
Rachel Ashlee's husband has been working in law enforcement for more than 20 years.
She says lately there has been an added stressor surrounding the upcoming city mandate which is requiring all city employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by the end of the year or risk termination.
"For what they do and how valuable they are and how much we need them, they need to be given another alternative," said Ashlee.
A recent survey by the San Diego Police Officers Association found 90% of all San Diego Police officers are opposed to the mandate.
As of last month, 500 San Diego Police officers were still unvaccinated.
Ashlee, who used to work at a 911 dispatch, said she's worried about the impact to the community if hundreds of officers are let go.
"The worst call I would have is if I had someone who desperately needed help and I had no one to dispatch," she said.
In response to this concern, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria sent this statement News 8:
"The city is still in the meet and confer process with its recognized employee organizations on how we will manage unvaccinated employees. we have a responsibility to protect our city employees and the public --particularly as city workers, including our police officers, regularly interact with the public."
The city has already extended the deadline for its employees to get vaccinated from November 2 to December 1.