Los Angles Co. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Thursday he will not comply with nor enforce the vaccine mandate that was just passed by the city council. The sheriff argued that “the issue has become so politicized.”
On Wednesday, the city council approved a measure that will require anyone over the age of 12 who plans to enter virtually any indoor public space to be vaccinated beginning November 4th. The order extends to places such as restaurants, salons, gyms, and sports arenas, but does not apply to grocery stores and pharmacies.
Those who claim a religious or medical exemption must show proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours. It is not clear when the 72 hours begins, presumably midnight on the 4th.
The sheriff, however, says he will not abide by the city’s mandate.
“The issue has become so politicized,” Villanueva said. “There are entire groups of employees that are willing to be fired and laid off rather than get vaccinated, so I don’t want to be in a position to lose 5, 10 percent of my workforce overnight on a vaccine mandate.”
LA Sheriff Villanueva says that he will not enforce a vaccine mandate, saying employees are willing to get fired over it. “I don’t want to be in a position to lose 5, 10% of my workforce overnight on a vaccine mandate.” pic.twitter.com/9DNJTeJUoY
— Alene Tchekmedyian (@AleneTchek) October 7, 2021
He described the situation facing the department as “the worst of two worlds” considering the mandate as well as the “defunding effort.”
The sheriff said his deputies and employees are willing to get fired over the refusal of the vaccine, therefore, he simply won’t enforce it.
During the same briefing, Villanueva also said that deputies will now be able to wear cowboy hats as part of their uniforms. Yet another announcement that predictably irked many leftists:
In unrelated news, Villanueva also says that deputies are now allowed to wear cowboy hats on duty pic.twitter.com/dYRiPqJ1CC
— Alene Tchekmedyian (@AleneTchek) October 7, 2021
Nothing says LA like cowboy hats! Really fits in with community
— kate (@peasonearthh) October 7, 2021
Nothing says LA like cowboy hats! Really fits in with community
— kate (@peasonearthh) October 7, 2021
Earlier this year, Villanueva said his department would not enforce the city’s mask mandate. He claimed at the time that the department had “limited resources” and that the order was “not backed by science.”
“Forcing the vaccinated and those who already contracted COVID-19 to wear masks indoors is not backed by science and contradicts the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines,” he declared.
He did, however, ask for voluntary compliance at the time.
The southern California region has recently seen quite a bit of resistance to mandates and COVID-based restrictions. There are small pockets of people who cherish freedom, each one an oasis in a city – and state – that is otherwise ruled by a hammer and sickle style of government.
In September, six LAPD officers sued the city over mask and vaccine mandates, saying it violated their constitutional right to privacy. They named LAPD Chief Michael Moore in the suit as well as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who mandated on July 27th that all city employees must be vaccinated or take weekly COVD-19 tests, CBS News reported at the time.
Also in September, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said he would not enforce any vaccine mandates for his deputies and employees.
“The government has no ability and no authority to mandate your health choices,” Bianco said in a statement. “I will not enforce the vaccine mandate on Sheriff’s Department employees,” he said, the LA Times reported.
It should be noted that LA Sheriff Villanueva has not always been the purest of freedom fighters. On New Year’s Eve of 2020, his “COVID-19 Super-Spreader Task Force” raided several area bashes and arrested 90 revelers.
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Frank (Chip) Webster is a musician and composer, former teacher of percussion and U.S. Army Infantry veteran. He holds a degree in English from Arizona State University.
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