Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Health faced criticism at the height of the coronavirus pandemic over orders that forced businesses to temporarily close. Unhappy with the county’s guidance, several cities contemplated breaking away and creating their own health department oversight agencies.
Torrance will receive a plan on launching its own health agency at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
South Bay city mayors were open with their criticisms of the leadership from LA County’s public health agency when businesses were forced to temporarily shut in 2020.
“Like every other city that feels unfairly included [in the county’s order for restaurants to close] we’re looking at potentially forming our own health department so that we can manage our own affairs after the pandemic,” said Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand told Spectrum News 1 in December.
Even so, Torrance Mayor Pat Furey told The Daily Breeze it was unlikely that his city would launch its own health agency based on the high cost.
“Coming out of the pandemic, the economy wasn’t very good to us,” Furey said, “so we don’t have a lot of money lying around to start a new identity.”
In November, the coalition of South Bay cities, which includes Torrance, bristled at LA County’s health orders and recommended collaborating on a new agency, with the Beach Cities Health District taking the lead.
The paper also reported that despite interest from the South Bay Cities Council of Governments, cost is a huge barrier.
“You can’t just form a health department for one issue,” Jacki Bacharach, executive director for the council, is reported as saying.
“It wasn’t clear to me that the health departments that were formed didn’t require general fund money, so it costs money and it takes years to form.”
Torrance is home to 143,592 residents, compared to LA County’s 10 million.
So far, West Covina is the only city that has decided to move forward with their own health agency.