Parents protest California COVID vaccine mandate for kids

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — More than a thousand people crowded the front steps of the California Capitol to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to require all children to get the coronavirus vaccine to attend public and private schools. Newsom’s mandate, announced earlier this month, made California the first state in the country to say it will require the COVID-19 vaccine for schoolchildren once it receives full federal approval. Many parents at the rally in Sacramento on Monday had pulled their children out of school hoping the absences send a message to state officials. About 72% of Californians 12 and older are fully vaccinated.