L.A. County Sheriff Says NO to ‘Defunded’ Department Enforcing New Mask Mandate: ‘Not Backed by Science’
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP, Getty
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva released a statement on Friday stating that his department, which he characterizes as “underfunded/defunded”, will not be enforcing the newly reinstated indoor mask mandate that goes into effect at midnight on Saturday night.
“Forcing the vaccinated and those who already contracted COVID-19 to wear masks indoors is not backed by science,” Sheriff Villanueva said in his forceful statement, adding that the mandate “contradicts the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. ”
The Sheriff took a shot at the “Defund” movement and the L.A. County Board of supervisors over the department funding in his statement.
“The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) has authority to enforce the order, but the underfunded/defunded Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will not expend our limited resources and instead ask for voluntary compliance,” he wrote. Villanueva has clashed with the board over defunding multiple times, and last year said they were caving to “the mob” after a June vote to cut funding for police across the board in the county.
Villanueva concluded by suggesting that the county do a better job and come up with a more plausible and viable solution to what local health officials describe as new and “substantial community transmission” of Covid in the county.
“We encourage the DPH to work collaboratively with the Board of Supervisors and law enforcement to establish mandates that are both achievable and supported by science,” he wrote.
At least one county supervisor has publicly agreed the newly reinstated mask mandate may not be of any real use in the area.
I am concerned by rising cases, but I don't believe the mask mandate will help efforts to stress vaccine efficacy and compel unvaccinated residents to get vaccinated. LA County should remain aligned with the State instead of creating confusion and disagreement at the local level.
— Supervisor Kathryn Barger (@kathrynbarger) July 17, 2021
