Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva says he will not enforce the vaccine mandate. He believes the issue has become too politicized, and he will "lose 5, 10 percent of [his] workforce overnight" if he enforces it. This announcement comes on the eve of an order requiring all Los Angeles employees to get the jab.
An executive order signed on Aug. 4 by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis required that all County employees provide proof of vaccination by Oct. 1. Villanueva stated:
"I'm not forcing anyone. The issue has become so politicized. 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 percent, 10 percent of my workforce overnight on a vaccine mandate while at the same time we are barebones with the defunding effort, so this is like the worst of two worlds."
The Los Angeles city council has also approved an ordinance requiring vaccine passports for indoor gyms, restaurants, bars, museums, stadiums, malls, and salons. Pharmacies and grocery stores are exempt from the mandate. Non-resident performers are excluded from the vaccine passport requirement.
Covered Locations/LA
The council voted 11-2 for the mandate, and it will take effect in November. Fox News reports that in the county of almost 10 million residents, "nearly 80 percent have received at least one dose, 69 percent are fully vaccinated." Councilmen Joe Buscaino and John Lee voted against the ordinance.
According to Fox News:
"Negative coronavirus tests within 72 hours of entry to those places would be required for people with religious or medical exemptions for vaccinations."
Medical and Religious Exemptions/LA
Proof of vaccination can include "a photo of a vaccination card (both sides), compliant with Subsection 0.1, above, as a separate physical photograph or stored on a phone or electronic device." Four forms of identification are allowed as proof of vaccination. One of the four is required.
One of four proofs of vaccination allowed/LA
Operators of indoor locations may be fined after first warning or notice of violation. The fines amount to $1000 for the second violation, $2000 for the third, and the fourth and subsequent violations are $5000. The monetary enforcement will begin on Nov. 29, 2021. The ordinance sunsets when the Emergency Order dated Mar. 4, 2020, is lifted.
On Oct. 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom made California the first state in the country to mandate the jab for children 12 and above—starting in 7th grade. Children between 12 and 15 are eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine under emergency authorization. The FDA has fully approved the vaccine for those 16 and older. It would be added to the list of required childhood vaccines in the state.
Yahoo News states:
"Students 12 and older could be affected as early as January 2022 if there is federal approval for a COVID-19 vaccine for that age range before the end of this year, the governor said in remarks at James Denman Middle School in San Francisco."
"Unlike with other vaccines required for schoolchildren, the plan would allow parents to cite personal beliefs in refusing to inoculate their children against COVID-19. Under state law that has applied to similar circumstances in the past, the exemption for personal beliefs would have to be granted because the new vaccination requirement is being imposed through a regulatory process rather than through the Legislature. Legislators and the Governor could later pass a law to eliminate the personal-belief exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine."
According to the Yahoo! article, State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) wants to remove the exemption from the mandate.
