State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson confirmed she’d been asked by the Senate Pro Tem to stay in Santa Barbara in deference to Governor Gavin Newsom’s most recent health directive that people older than 65 remain in their homes until the current pandemic is better controlled. Jackson said she has every intention of complying, “in solidarity” with Newsom’s directive, explaining, “Unless we take drastic dramatic steps, we could wind up like Italy.”
Should Jackson’s vote make or break any significant legislation, she said, she would think otherwise.
“There’s a big difference between ‘You’re not needed up here’ and ‘You’re not wanted up here,’” she said. “Right now, I’m not needed. It’s important to lead by example. Unless my vote is necessary, I’m staying here.” Jackson is in the final few months of her final term in office.
“Of course I want to be up in Sacramento,” she said. “That’s where I’m supposed to be.”