Advocates for Faith & Freedom
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, March 3, 2022
CONTACT: nicole velasco @
media@faith-freedom.COM
For Immediate Release 03/03/2022, Los Angeles, California – Today, Unify Santa Clara County (“UnifySCC”) filed an application for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction pending the disposition of their lawsuit filed against Santa Clara County, Sara H. Cody, and James Williams. The Plaintiffs request the Court immediately restore their jobs.
UnifySCC is an association that consists of members whose sincerely held religious beliefs prevent them from taking the COVID-19 vaccine or booster. Santa Clara County has relegated them to unpaid leave, depriving them of their livelihood, because they are “high” risk employees, as determined by the county’s arbitrary risk tier system. The Defendants did not engage in negotiations to determine if reasonable accommodations were available to the members of UnifySCC. However, Santa Clara County does provide reasonable accommodations to employees for medical reasons, as illustrated in emails UnifySCC relies on in its lawsuit.
“Santa Clara County’s vaccination policies are a blatant violation of the First Amendment,” says Mariah Gondeiro, an attorney for Advocates for Faith and Freedom. “The county has no compelling reason to treat similarly situated individuals differently based on religion.”
Furthermore, Santa Clara County’s vaccination policies are irrational, arbitrary, and counterproductive to community health. As stated by Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, the expert for UnifySCC, the county’s policies are irrational because “[t]he individuals placed in high risk are more likely to have contracted COVID-19 in the past and therefore have immune protection. It is counterproductive to public health to strip these employees of their employment when the public relies greatly on their services.”
In addition to immediate injunctive relief, UnifySCC is also seeking compensatory damages against Santa Clara County, including, at a minimum, lost wages.
###