STATEMENT OF DR. RICHARD PAN ON THE FAILURE OF THE RECALL CAMPAIGN TO QUALIFY FOR THE BALLOT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
CONTACT: Shannan Velayas
(916) 271-2867

February 4, 2020 

SACRAMENTO, CA– The most recent effort to recall Dr. Richard Pan has failed, signaling yet another victory of science over the politics of fear and intimidation. The last day for the proponent of the recall to circulate petitions and file 61,224 valid signatures with county elections officials, was yesterday, February 3, 2020.

“As a pediatrician, I dedicated my life to caring for patients, protecting children and building healthy communities,” said Dr. Richard Pan, pediatrician and state senator representing the Sacramento area. “The science is clear that vaccines work. I will continue the fight to keep our children and communities safe by advocating for laws based on science and facts.”

In 2015, during the legislative debate over SB 277, which eliminated the personal belief exemption from existing law requiring childhood vaccinations, opponents used fear, intimidation and discredited information to try to defeat the bill. Dr. Pan was the subject of harassment, ethnic slurs and even death threats.  He refused to be intimidated and with the help of many other legislators, and the support of the Governor, SB 277 was signed into law. As soon as SB 277 was signed, anti-vaccination forces launched a campaign to recall Dr. Pan from office.  That effort failed without the submission of a single signature.

In 2019, urgency was given to Dr. Pan’s efforts to restore community immunity when measles spread throughout the country. We saw the greatest number of measles infections in 25 years.  Dr. Pan authored SB 276 to close the fake medical exemption loophole. During the legislative debate over that measure, anti-vaccination extremists worked to silence health advocates and deceive the public and policymakers. The anti-vaccination zealots who frightened parents into refusing to vaccinate their children brought those same tactics to the Capitol.

Once again, they sought to recall Dr. Pan from office, launching that effort in late summer 2019, and once again, they have failed. https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/recalls/current-recall-efforts

“I am proud of the tremendous support I received from the people of the Sixth District,” said Dr. Pan. “Thousands pledged their support if the recall qualified and hundreds donated to help me oppose the recall. Physicians from all over the state rallied to my side, recognizing their patients and the public are at serious risk if anti-science extremists are allowed to bully public officials and hijack public health policy.”

With this recall threat behind Dr. Pan, he is more committed than ever to serving the people of the Sixth District and working to build a healthy California.

###

Vaccine Opponents Fail to Qualify their Referendum for the Ballot

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Shannan Velayas (PAN) (916) 271-2867

December 23, 2019

SACRAMENTO, CA – Dr. Richard Pan, State Senator representing the Sacramento area and author of Senate Bill 276 made the following statement in regards to the failure of those opposed to SB 276 to qualify their referendum for the ballot:

“The anti-vaccine extremists who opposed SB276 failed to even qualify their referenda against SB276 and SB714, after declaring the bill to be fascist and communist and invoking Jim Crow and the Holocaust. Despite their violent rhetoric, which incited a physical assault and blood being thrown into the Senate chamber, they failed to make their case to the people of California. Four years ago, they also failed to qualify a referendum against SB277 to abolish non-medical exemptions to school vaccination and failed several lawsuits which resulted in SB277 being constitutionally upheld by a California Appellate court. This small number of privileged extremists are endangering our children and costing taxpayers, but the people of California are standing with the science by supporting SB277 in 2015 and, again this year, SB276, to protect all Californians.”

Shortly after the legislature and the Governor approved passage of SB 276 and SB 714 in September, vaccine opponents filed a proposed statewide referendum, which is the first step to place a measure on the ballot to overturn a law. To qualify for the ballot, proponents needed to collect 623,212 valid signatures from registered voters. The California Secretary of State has indicated that effort has failed: https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ccrov/pdf/2019/december/19161jk.pdf and https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ccrov/pdf/2019/december/19160jk.pdf

Senate Bill 276, which will prevent fake medical exemptions and require oversight of the medial exemption process and Senate Bill 714 will be enacted on January 1, 2020.

A study published today in PLOS Medicine examined the effectiveness of Dr. Richard Pan’s 2015 law, Senate Bill 277, which eliminated nonmedical exemptions in the state. The study found that his bill was effective increasing vaccination coverage, especially in the most “high-risk” (low vaccine coverage) settings. The study can be found here: https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002994

# # #

Dr. Richard Pan is a parent, small business owner, former UC Davis educator and pediatrician who represents Sacramento, West Sacramento, Elk Grove and unincorporated areas of Sacramento County in the state legislature and is the Chair of the Senate Health Committee. As a legislator, Dr. Pan continues to practice medicine at WellSpace Health Oak Park Community Clinic, pursuing his passion for working with families to build healthier communities.