On Friday, September 13, 2019, the final day of the California legislative session, an anti vaccine protester threw a small cup of red liquid onto the state Senate floor, according to CalMatters. Reports at the time said the liquid was believed to be menstrual blood, though that was not confirmed.
The California Highway Patrol arrested a woman identified as Rebecca, 43, of Boulder Creek. Eyewitnesses said the liquid came from the gallery above the chamber, where she and other vaccine opponents had been watching the session. Details on formal charges were not available when this story was first reported.
Several senators were hit, including Senator Richard Pan, who appeared to be the target, and Senator Steve Glazer, who said he was one of eight senators caught in the splatter. CalMatters reported that Glazer later saw a doctor as a precaution, following safety protocols for blood exposure.
Video from the scene reportedly captured a woman yelling “That’s for the dead babies” before being escorted into the hall by police. In a livestream, she said vaccines cause injury and death and that she was acting “for the babies.”
The incident came days after Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill authored by Pan that tightens the rules on medical exemptions from school vaccine requirements. The law takes effect January 1, 2020. Under it, public health officials can review a doctor who writes more than five exemptions in one year, and schools that fall below certain vaccination rates can also face review.
Lawmakers from both parties condemned the act. Senate leader Toni Atkins said a crime had been committed but that the Senate would continue its work. The chamber was sealed off for cleanup, senators moved to a hearing room, and the session wrapped up around 3 a.m.
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